The CEO of TUSAŞ (Turkish Aerospace Industries) Temel Kotil stated that the national combat aircraft is ready for flight, and in the initial phase called Block-10, 20 aircraft will be delivered to the Air Force, surpassing the F16 and falling below the F35, by 2028. Additionally, Kotil mentioned that they are currently producing two more aircraft.
Temel Kotil, the CEO of TUSAŞ, held a press conference at the Paris Airshow he attended. Providing information about the national combat aircraft KAAN, Kotil stated, “Several components such as the landing gear and flight computer are not yet flight-ready. We expect these components to become flight-worthy by the end of the year; otherwise, it will be challenging for the national combat aircraft to be ready for flight.”
Kotil, who said, “It will reach the 5th generation level in 2030. The bird is about to fly out of its nest, very close to flying. We are currently producing two more aircraft,” used the following expressions: “In a way, it flies as a flying fortress, communicating with the aircraft around it. The selling price is a separate matter, but the approximate cost of these aircraft is 100 million dollars.”
T929 HEAVY CLASS GENERAL-PURPOSE HELICOPTER WILL FLY ONE YEAR LATER
Kotil stated that the T925 heavy-class general-purpose helicopter, weighing 11 tons, which they exhibited for the first time at the fair and referred to as the “big brother of GÖKBEY helicopter,” will fly in one year. He emphasized that this helicopter aims for a broader market with military and civilian applications than the attack helicopter and mentioned that the sales number, which was previously expressed as 100, has increased to 500.
Kotil highlighted that except for the engines procured from Ukraine, there is no equipment that could be restricted from being imported from abroad, and he expressed that domestic engines are also being developed in Turkey.
