In this context, it is not a question of actively procuring Chinese or Russian engines or bringing about a strategic realignment, but solely of securing a backup plan for the worst-case scenario—a scenario in which Western supply chains remain permanently blocked and no alternative is available.
Turkey is currently working intensively on the development of its own high-performance engine (TEI TF-35000) for the TAI KAAN combat aircraft. However, until it is ready for series production around 2032/34, a transitional engine is needed to bridge the gap left by the F110 engine (of US origin) that was previously planned. This need for an interim solution arises from geopolitical uncertainties regarding the release and delivery of Western components.
In such a transition scenario, Russian or Chinese engines would also be technically capable of temporarily taking over this role. This is expressly not a matter of a preferred or strategically desired partnership, but rather a safeguard in an extreme emergency should all Western options remain permanently blocked.
Once the domestic TEI TF-35000 engine is completed and available in series production, all external solutions – including the F110 and Russian or Chinese alternatives – will be completely replaced. The long-term goal remains technological independence in propulsion technology.
The international window of opportunity in which Western players – including, in particular, the US/Israel and Greece – can still influence Turkish aviation development is rapidly closing. Once Turkey has its own series production of engines and semiconductors (even using older processes), these countries will effectively lose the ability to exert pressure by refusing to supply them.
It is significant that the US continues to remain noncommittal about supplying F-16 and F-35 fighter jets or F110 engines. Eurofighter exports are also being blocked, presumably due to political pressure from Israel and Greece. This deliberate indecision avoids a clear decision:
A "yes" would accelerate Turkey's technological progress.
A "no," on the other hand, would give Turkey the legitimacy to openly and officially seek alternatives without being subject to massive diplomatic or economic sanctions.
The Chinese (or Russian) engines are not a proactively pursued option, but merely a strategic fallback solution in extreme cases. In the long term, Turkey is striving for complete independence in propulsion technology. The current period is therefore critical from the perspective of its opponents: as soon as in-house developments such as the TEI TF-35000 and its own semiconductor production are available, Western influence will decline dramatically – a scenario that some players are now trying to slow down with all their might, but do not want to openly prevent.
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