Turkey’s attempt to build its first domestic fighter aircraft still depends on US engines, emphasizing how a critical defensive technology can prevent Ankara’s ambitions to evolve into an export power of a new generation of weapons, as he says in an article.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the US Congress penalties, which are linked to the market by Turkey of the Russian air defense system in 2017, have frozen export licenses and engine deliveries GE AEROSPACE F110-GE-129which are intended for the fifth generation of Kaan.

According to the news agency, Turkey is expecting climate improvement following the meeting of Presidents Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House last week. Although Trump had implied that he was open to the possibility of buying an F-35 by Ankara, the agreement has not been reached.

Turkey has said it is willing to be prepared to reconcile the issue of Russian S-400 missiles, but without accepting the complete abandonment of the system, according to officials who know the issue. As they said, Ankara could agree on a technical, common military mechanism for their supervision.

The country’s efforts to develop its own high performance military turbines have made slow progress, with the TUSAS Engine Industries TF35000 facing difficulties in the construction of the combustion chamber, the turbine, the nozzle, the metaches and the export system, according to the same sources.

“The issue of Caatsa sanctions is actually a big problem for us,” Hakan Fidan said at a press conference in New York on Saturday, referring to US sanctions under the law Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. “Kaan’s engines are waiting in Congress, their licensing has been suspended. They must be approved to be delivered to start the production of Kaan. “

Haluk Giorgoun, head of the Turkish Presidency’s defense procurement organization, said the Kaan program remains on track and that the TF35000 engine will produce greater boost than F110used by Lockheed Martin in F-16 and Boeing in F-15E Strike Eagleamong other aircraft.

Giorgun also noted that his country signed an agreement on the sale of 48 Kaan fighters in Indonesia with “domestic engines” of non -American origin.

Turkey, however, has received the approval of the US Congress for the supply of GE’s less powerful F404 engines, which will be used on the new Hurjet training aircraft, according to Fahretin Ozturk, Deputy Chief of Turkish Aerospace Industries, who spoke to the TURKISH AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES.

Changing to an alternative engine at this stage could complicate the Kaan program, sources said. Turkey will either supply F110 from the US or will use the TF35000 When he is ready, they added. Ankara has already secured more than twelve F110 from the US for prototypes, but mass production, originally planned for 2028, depends on the introduction of dozens of other engines, according to the same sources.

Although Turkey has previously assembled high performance engines and components, the lack of industrial experience in the development of all elements of such a complex system has slowed down the progress of TF35000, they said. Ankara hopes to launch TF35000 trials as early as next year and incorporate it into Kaan by 2032, since everything is smoothly evolved, according to the same sources.

For Erdogan, building a strong defense industry is a foundation for expanding its foreign policy from Africa to the Middle East, Bloomberg notes. Turkey’s weapons exports were more than doubled in the period 2020-24 compared to 2015-19, according to the Stockholm International Research Institute for Peace (SIPRI), while imports declined by one third.

Selcouk Bayraktar, a groom of Erdogan and a senior Baykar executive, the leading Turkish production company Drones, is credited with turning the country into one of the most important suppliers of unmanned aircraft. Turkish companies such as Turkish Aerospace Industries are also exporting the T129 offensive helicopter, as well as land vehicles and naval systems.

However, Turkey is still facing the classic challenge of full self -sufficiency in production: Much of production is based on international cooperation and the construction of a complex weapon system from scratch remains difficult. The country, for example, has used South Korean engines in the first lots of Altay tanks, while developing a domestic engine.

Resolving the controversy over the Caatsa law and the Russian S-400 missiles could pave the way for strengthening defense cooperation. Washington has shown interest in creating Baykar’s production line in the US, Hakan Fidan said.

Ankara is based on exports to finance research and development in projects extending from aircraft carriers to ultrasound missiles. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey sold more than $ 7 billion worth of weapons last year and could reach $ 20 billion in a few years.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has boosted demand for Turkish drones, expanding Ankara’s influence. The Turkish company Repkon is supplying explosives to the US to increase the production of NATO’s 155mm NATO artillery missiles, which is essential for Ukraine. Baykar has set up a joint venture with Italian Leonardo to penetrate the European market.

Turkey’s military spending increased by 12%, reaching $ 25 billion last year, according to Sipri.

“The fine line between being on the table and being on the menu is the possibilities of air defense and attack,” Erdogan said last month. “We have our systems to our friends and allies and we increase our diplomatic effectiveness.”