Aviation

Türkiye’s homegrown 5th-generation fighter jet named KAAN

Türkiye's indigenous fighter jet KAAN to take to the skies in December

The name “KAAN” will be given to Turkey’s homegrown fifth-generation fighter aircraft, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Monday.

The aircraft’s designation was revealed on May 1st in a grand celebration at TAI facilities in the Turkish capital Ankara, which included flyovers by Air Force aircraft, sizable crowds, and the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

? KAAN Savaş Uçağı ! pic.twitter.com/QYdY1JQ7ze
— Conflict (@ConflictTR) May 1, 2023

Adı KAAN, kılıcı keskin olsun! ??✈️#İstikbalinYüzyılı pic.twitter.com/q5326nws9R
— Türk Havacılık Uzay Sanayii (@TUSAS_TR) May 1, 2023

After the TF-X, also known as the National Combat Aircraft (MMU), successfully completed its first taxi test and made its runway debut in mid-March after its engines were started for the first time, Erdogan made his comments. “Türkiye is now in every field, on land, in the sea and submarine, in the air and space,” Erdogan said at the “Century of the Future” event in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The twin engines of the 21-meter jet, which can each produce 29,000 pounds (13,000 kilograms) of power, enable it to travel at a top speed of 1.8 Mach.

All the technologies and characteristics seen in fifth-generation airplanes are present in KAAN. It will give the chance to strategically strike air-to-air and air-to-ground targets. Its infrastructure for safe data exchange and the use of smart weapons is entirely domestic.

It will improve combat power with accurate and precise firing from internal weapon slots at high/supersonic speed with its high-performance radar, electronic warfare, electro-optics, communication, navigation, and identification capability. Additionally, it has automatic target recognition and detection, multiple data fusion, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

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Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.