KAAN, Türkiye's domestically produced fighter jet, has achieved a huge success on the international stage. With the historic agreement announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his social media accounts, 48 KAAN National Fighter Aircraft will be exported to the friendly and brotherly country of Indonesia.
Turkey has passed another historic milestone in its localization and nationalization goals in the defense industry. The KAAN National Combat Aircraft, developed with great effort and dedication over the years, is meeting its first international customer. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shared this proud development with defense industry followers via a social media post. Under the agreement, 48 KAAN fighter jets will be produced in Türkiye and added to the Indonesian Air Force's inventory. More importantly, the fact that Indonesia's local capabilities will be utilized in the KAAN production process elevates the strategic partnership and technology sharing between the two countries to a higher level.
Details and Significance of the Record-Breaking Deal
The total value of this massive contract exceeds $10 billion. This figure marks the largest single defense industry export achievement in the history of the Republic of Turkey. The agreement was signed at the INDO Defence 2025 Fair in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, where Turkish defense industry companies also participated strongly. The signing ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, Indonesian Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TUSAŞ Ömer Cihad Vardan, Deputy Minister of National Defence and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of TUSAŞ Şuay Alpay, and General Manager of TUSAŞ Mehmet Demiroğlu.
This historic agreement signifies far more than just an economic success. The fact that a strategic platform like KAAN has faced international demand even before entering mass production clearly demonstrates the level reached by Turkish engineering and defense industry infrastructure. This export reinforces Türkiye's determination and ambition to become a global power in defense and aerospace.
President Erdoğan Delivers Historic Message and Expresses Gratitude.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced this important development with the following message: “I want to share with my nation a very important and positive development regarding our national fighter jet, KAAN… Within the framework of the agreement we signed with our friend and brother Indonesia, 48 KAAN aircraft will be produced in Türkiye and exported to Indonesia. Indonesia's local capabilities will also be utilized in the production of KAAN. I hope this agreement, which showcases the progress and achievements of our domestic and national defense industry, will be beneficial for both Turkey and Indonesia.”.
In his message, Erdoğan expressed his special thanks to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who played a major role in the signing of the agreement, saying, “I send my greetings and thanks to my esteemed counterpart, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who played a major role in the signing of this agreement with the will he demonstrated.” He also congratulated all the organizations involved in the production of KAAN and the signing of this record export contract, especially the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ). The President expressed his gratitude to the sector's employees, saying, “I wish continued success to all our companies, to which we have given and will continue to give unwavering support, for the further strengthening of our defense industry, and I express my gratitude to all my brothers and sisters working in the defense industry.”.
KAAN: The New Master of the Skies and Its Technological Advantages
Developed under the main contractorship of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), KAAN is a platform with superior features designed to meet Türkiye's 5th generation fighter jet needs. Equipped with critical technologies required in a next-generation aircraft, such as low visibility (stealth capability), internal weapon bays, high maneuverability, enhanced situational awareness, and sensor fusion, KAAN places Türkiye among the limited number of countries in the world, alongside the USA, Russia, and China, capable of producing 5th generation fighter jets.
Here are some of KAAN's key technical specifications:
- Maximum Speed: 1.8 Mach (1.8 times the speed of sound)
- Service Altitude: 55,000 feet (Approximately 16,764 meters)
- Motor: Twin-engine (General Electric F110 engines are used in the initial prototypes; domestic engine development work is being carried out by TRMotor)
- Avionics: AESA radar and advanced avionics systems developed by ASELSAN.
- Weapon Systems: National missiles and internal weapon bays developed by ROKETSAN.
- Software: National software developed by HAVELSAN
- Other Features: Superior cruise capability, optimized pilot workload, within-visual and beyond-visual-range weapons, high survivability.
KAAN successfully completed its first flight on February 21, 2024, opening a new chapter in Turkish aviation history. Following this, KAAN successfully completed its second test flight on May 6, 2024, marking significant progress in its development process. TUSAŞ aims to deliver 20 KAAN Block-10 models to the Turkish Air Force by 2028. From the 2030s onwards, it is planned to replace the F-16 aircraft in the Turkish Air Force inventory.
Strategic Cooperation with Indonesia: Joint Production and Technology Transfer
The export of KAAN to Indonesia is more than just a sales agreement; it is a tangible demonstration of a deepening strategic partnership between the two countries. A key aspect of this partnership is the utilization of Indonesia's local capabilities in KAAN's production. As the Head of the Defense Industry, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, stated, this project, to be carried out with TUSAŞ as the main contractor and in collaboration with leading Indonesian defense industry companies, will be one of the most concrete examples of joint production, technology sharing, and strategic cooperation.
This cooperation model will contribute to the development of Indonesia's aviation industry capabilities, while also offering advantages for Turkey such as increased production capacity and cost optimization for the KAAN project. A critical detail of the agreement is that the KAAN aircraft to be delivered will feature engines produced using national resources; this engine is expected to be the TEI TF-35000 engine, which is currently under development. The delivery of 48+12 KAAN aircraft to Indonesia will be completed within 84 months (by 2032).
Defense industry cooperation between Turkey and Indonesia has gained significant momentum in recent years. Having previously undertaken successful projects such as the joint production of the Kaplan MT (HARIMAU) medium-weight tank through a partnership between FNSS and PT Pindad, the two countries are now taking this cooperation to a new level in the aviation sector with the KAAN project. Indonesia is also known to be interested in Türkiye's national submarine project, MILDEN. These developments demonstrate that the relationship between these two friendly and brotherly countries has reached a strategic dimension.
Keywords: KAAN, National Combat Aircraft, MMU, Turkey, Indonesia, Defense Industry, Export, TUSAŞ, Domestic Production, Fighter Jet, 5th Generation Fighter Jet, President Erdoğan, Presidency of Defense Industry, SSB, Technology Transfer, Joint Production, Military Aviation, Turkish Defense Industry, National Technology Initiative, Indonesian Air Force, Record Export, Strategic Cooperation, Defense Agreement, INDO Defence 2025, Prabowo Subianto, Haluk Görgün, Mehmet Demiroğlu.
