Saudi Arabia may invest in Turkish fighter jet Kaan 'any moment', Erdogan says

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are considering a joint investment in Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet programme, Kaan, with a decision possibly imminent, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

“We are signing significant defence industry cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia, and we are determined to further strengthen them,” Erdogan told journalists while returning to Turkey following his visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia this week.

“Moreover, a joint investment with Saudi Arabia is under consideration, and this Kaan investment could be realised at any moment,” he added.

Turkey has been developing a fifth-generation fighter aircraft since 2010, but its plans accelerated after Ankara was removed from the US-led F‑35 programme in 2019, following its purchase of the Russian-made S‑400 missile defence system, which also led to sanctions by the US Congress.

The Kaan project is considered highly costly, prompting Ankara to seek international partners.

In June, Indonesia signed a deal to purchase 48 Kaan fighter jets in an agreement valued at more than $10bn. The 10‑year deal includes the co-production of certain Kaan components in Indonesia.

Other countries, including Qatar and Azerbaijan, have also expressed interest in acquiring the aircraft.

Kaan conducted its maiden flight in February 2024, temporarily powered by two General Electric F110‑GE‑129 engines, the same engines used on Turkish F‑16 fighter jets. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which leads the Kaan programme, is developing a domestically produced engine for the aircraft.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed last year that the US Congress had been blocking the delivery of F110‑GE‑129 engines intended for the first batch of Kaan aircraft.

TAI aims to deliver the first Kaan jet to the Turkish Air Force by the end of 2028, although some analysts suggest this timeline could slip to 2030. The first 10 Kaan Block‑1 fighter jets are scheduled for delivery to the Turkish Air Force between 2030 and 2033.