According to the pro-government Turkish newspaper Milliyet, Saudi Arabia is considering putting the Turkish Kaan fighter aircraft (-> Turkish Kaan back in the air) from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in the 2030s in order to promote the development of an independent defense industry.
Under the leadership of Haluk Görgün, the head of the Turkish Defense Industry Agency (SSB), Turkish officials recently received Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari and the commander of the Saudi Air Force, Turki bin Bandar Al Saud, for talks in Istanbul. The three-day negotiations on cooperation in the defense industry began on 24 December.
At the same time, Saudi Chief of General Staff General Feyyaz bin Hamid er-Ruveyli held talks with high-ranking Turkish defense officials in Ankara on 26 December. Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Metin Gürak exchanged views with er-Ruveyli on joint projects, including fighter jets, warships, radar systems and missiles.
A central topic of the talks was apparently the possible purchase of up to 100 fifth-generation Kaan fighter jets. Riyadh is planning to modernize its air force in light of regional tensions. The kingdom has traditionally relied on US-made F-15 fighter jets and the European Eurofighter (-> Now 54 more Eurofighters for the Saudis after all). Since 2012, however, repeated requests for the purchase of Lockheed Martin fifth-generation F-35 jets have gone unanswered.
In view of these restrictions, Saudi Arabia is now examining various alternatives with international partners, according to Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari. In addition to the Kaan, modern French Rafale aircraft from Dassault and China’s new F-35 counterpart, which was presented for the first time at the Zhuhai Airshow 2024to choose from. However, Riyadh attaches great importance to an agreement that guarantees substantial technology transfer and local production shares.
Launched in 2016, the Turkish fighter jet project aims to mass-produce a modern next-generation fighter jet by the end of the 2020s. According to Haluk Görgün, TAI is planning to deploy a second prototype for tests in 2025.
As part of a 1.1-billion-euro project in cooperation with BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, the SSB is also pushing ahead with the development of its own engines. The first Kaan jets will initially be equipped with F-110 engines from General Electric before being converted to locally produced engines, Turkish officials explained.
A key problem currently facing the Turkish defense industry is its dependence on foreign engines. This poses risks, for example due to potential US sanctions. In addition, the resale of aircraft with F-110 engines requires the approval of the US government in the form of export licenses.
https://militaeraktuell.at/internationale-einsaetze-plant-bundesheer-2025/ Eine mögliche Zusammenarbeit beim Kaan wäre nicht das erste größere Rüstungsgeschäft der beiden Ländern in den vergangenen Jahren. So bestellte Saudi-Arabien im Jahr 2023 beim führenden türkischen Drohnenhersteller Baykar um rund drei Milliarden Euro Akinci-Angriffsdrohnen. Haluk Bayraktar, der CEO von Baykar, bezeichnete das Abkommen damals als „den größten Rüstungs- und Luftfahrtexportvertrag in der Geschichte der Türkischen Republik”.
This procurement, as well as the possible purchase of the Kaan, is quite remarkable, as relations between Ankara and Riyadh have been strained since 2018 following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.
