Propaganda before the election: Turkey relies on "Kaan" - Converted F-16 is Erdogan's prestige object
Status: 02/22/2024, 5:27 p.m.
From:
Erkan Pehlivan
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The fighter jet "Kaan" completes its maiden flight. Before the local elections in Turkey, the aircraft is primarily intended to give President Erdogan a boost.
Ankara - Turkey wants its own combat aircraft of the so-called 5th Generation to produce. That's why the "Kaan" counts as a prestige project of the Turkish defense industry. On Tuesday (20. February) the machine took off for the first time.
The Kaan is also an alternative to the American F-35. However, Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program after purchasing the Russian air defense system S-400. Now Ankara even has problems buying F-16 fighter planes from the USA.
The joy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government was all the greater. "Today we experienced one of the proudest days of the Turkish defense industry," Erdogan wrote on X and announced further tests for the Kaan. "A historic day for the Turkish defense industry! The Turkish stealth fighter jet of the 5th Generation has successfully completed its maiden flight. We are proud of everyone involved," his Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek also wrote on X.
Kaan - Western technology that was modified in Turkey
But there is also criticism of the Kaan, especially because it is initially only a prototype and does not contain much Turkish technology in it. The Kaan was designed by BAE-Systems from Great Britain, its software comes from the French group Dassault, explains security expert
Özge Kilinc in conversation with fr.de from IPPEN.MEDIA. "The F110-GE engines come from the USA, which are also installed in the F-16 fighter aircraft." Western technologies are built into the Kaan, which were only modified in Turkey. Kilinc was editor-in-chief of the former military magazine Turkish Defence and reporter of the former industry magazine Savunma ve Havacılık.
Currently, the prototype is not yet a combat aircraft of the 5th. Generation. It is still visible on the radar screen and still does not meet the other requirements for this, says the expert. "It's not easy to be a combat aircraft of the 5th. Generation if you have not previously manufactured first, second, third and fourth generation combat aircraft. This all looks like election propaganda."
Kaan will not be able to replace F-16 from the USA
In addition, the Kaan will not be able to replace the existing and the F-16 ordered from the USA so quickly. "Finally, only ten machines are to be manufactured by 2029," says Kilinc. This will prove to be difficult. It is not yet clear whether, for example, there will be a separate engine for the Kaan by then or whether a foreign company will deliver it.
Other experts are also skeptical whether the Kaan is a miracle weapon of the 5th. Generation acts. Because of the cockpit design, the desired half-camoufling capability of the Kaan probably cannot be achieved, writes
Remzi Barlas, who was previously chief engineer for drones for the state aviation group TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries), in a post on Linkedin. This is also the company that received the order for the Kaan.
Barlas was released from the state corporation and later had to go to prison for two months. He was accused of "espionage." The engineer had made himself unpopular because he accused the government of preferring the "Baykar" group in the construction of military drones. By the way, the company belongs to the family of Erdogan's son-in-law SelcukBayraktar, who also builds the famous "Bayraktar-TB2."
Turkish technology for Kaan not mature
It is unclear when ASELSAN's AESA (Active Electronic Scanning Array) radar, which is the backbone of the aircraft's main impact capacity, will reach its full capability. Two F-110 engines, which are also used in F-16 aircraft, were temporarily used in Kaan/MMU, but it is not possible to achieve the range and load capacity originally intended for the aircraft with these engines," says Barlas.
It currently seems impossible to procure an engine with the performance intended in the design of the aircraft. "Even if an engine for this aircraft is found, the first operational capability will be achieved in ten years at best," says Barlas. "In view of the fact that the domestic engine development at TEI (TUSAS Engine Industries Inc.) will continue for many years, the more likely period is about 15 years."
Arms industry as an advertising platform for Erdogan
The Kaan will be held before the upcoming local elections on the 31st. March presented. All the more political calculation is suspected in the demonstration of the Kaan. "The armaments industry was Erdoğan's most important propaganda platform in the last elections. The first flight of the Kaan aircraft has been postponed several times. The reason for these postponements was that the first flight should take place before the elections. Although the flight is technically problematic, it is important for propaganda," says Turkish investigative journalist Cevheri Güven, who lives in exile in Germany. And Erdogan has set himself a lot of goals. On the 1st In April, the metropolis of Istanbul and the capital Ankara are to be back in the hands of its AKP.
Der Kampfjet „Kaan“ absolviert seinen Jungfernflug. Vor den Kommunalwahlen in der Türkei soll das Flugzeug vor allem Präsident Erdogan Schub verleihen.
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