TR Air-Force TF-X KAAN Fighter Jet

[Sanchez]

You also need to take into account the tanker has to fuel Kaan and make it back itself. And tankers usually refuel multiple times, but lets say even 1 tank full is useful. Regardless, the tanker needs to be many times heavier.

Buddy tanker missions are a thing and it is what the US Navy is preparing the new MQ-25 for. Beforehand, almost 1/3 of a carrier’s F-18s were set aside for these missions, stealing away from possible combat sorties.

IMO the duty of an ANKA 3 tanker will be to compensate for external fuel tanks on stealth fighters, not for refueling them up to the brim.

Problem with the idea of using existing or modified drone tankers to refuel Kaan is different as I alluded to. We only have one stealth fighter, Kaan. Kaan doesn’t have a probe but a receptacle, same as our F-16s. Kaan is huge and have two F110s, and will have two TF35Ks that will devour its fuel load. Kaan won’t have a probe for refueling, it just doesn’t make any sense to add a probe attachment on the nose which will take away from its stealth characteristics, no matter how stealth the housing is. So it will need a regular boom just like on our KC-135s to be refueled. And the said boom is huge, requiring a passenger jet sized aircraft.

In all likelihood, a drone tanker created from Anka-3 or 4 won’t refuel Kaan in the future.

Possible drone fighters that will be made by Baykar won’t need refueling, they already have the space needed for more fuel inside. Unless the drone in question is an arsenal bird the size of a B-2, it won’t need mid air refueling.

 

[Saithan]

I would have liked to contribute to the conversation on what benefits national economy and thought I'd use Domates, Biber, Patlican as examples

Joke aside it's a valid point, but our defense industry is primarily about being/turned into self reliance. Whatever we can export is good, and if it opens up more doors than that's even better. But I think it's important to prove the quality and efficiency as well. We need to use our resources wisely.

TAF used TB2 and Anka to great effect and the world's jaw dropped (figuratively) because we introduced whole new doctrines to the concept of war.

But we must not forget that we're still developing and face many sanctions and challenges, so the developed countries may be quicker and fast at producing better end game products now, but as long as we can keep growing and developing and breaking sanctions we will rise.

Not only that we actively contribute to friendly nations rising to a certain degree. But we are not here to lift them up, we're suppose to give them a helping hand and they're suppose to overcome their primitive minds and grow into great people who see beyond their clans/tribal squabble.

We may never truly know how deep cooperation we with some friendly nations, but I hope we have and that the absence of any talk about is proof of how silent as the grave we are about it. Stuff made for action/thriller movies in the future

 

[MADDOG]

MMU has reportedly performed its second flight.

 

[2033]

MMU has reportedly performed its second flight.

There are no images on Twitter.

 

[Khagan1923]

Wouldn’t get too excited possibility the news are false is high.
Though Arda Mevlutoglu tweeted that a second flight has taken place too.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1787385502267494670

I will believe when I see footage of it

 

[valarmogu]

5th Generation Fighter Aircraft KAAN Successfully Completed Its 2nd Flight

During the flight, which took place at TAI facilities, KAAN was accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet. During the successfully completed flight, KAAN's low-altitude flight tests and avionic systems were tested.

In the second flight, the Multi-Core Real-Time Operating System, Central Management Computers, Avionic Interface Units, Middleware and Deterministic Network systems developed by TÜBİTAK BİLGEM were used.

TÜRKİYE : 5. Nesil Savaş Uçağı KAAN 2. Uçuşunu Başarıyla Gerçekleştirdi! - ULU Savunma

TUSAŞ tarafından geliştirilen 5. Nesil Milli Muharip Uçak KAAN 2. uçuşunu başarıyla gerçekleştirdi...

www.ulusavunma.com

 

[Sanchez]

Surprising to me that no spotter footage came out yet.

 

[Iskander]

There are several confirmations. No video yet

KAAN ikinci uçuşunu da başarıyla tamamladı | Savunma Sanayi Haberleri

Türkiye savunma alanında attığı adımların meyvelerini topluyor. Son olarak Türkiye'nin milli muharip uçağı KAAN ikinci uçuşunu da başarılı bir şekilde gerçekleştirdi.

www.yenisafak.com

KAAN'dan bir uçuş başarısı daha! Milli Muharip Uçak KAAN ikinci uçuşunu gerçekleştirdi - Sanayi Gazetesi

Türkiye’nin geliştirdiği milli savaş uçağı KAAN ikinci uçuşunu bu sabah başarıyla tamamladı. KAAN’a ilk uçuşta olduğu gibi yine bir F-16 eşlik etti.

sanayigazetesi.com.tr

 

[Zafer]

Remember last time bystanders casually took pictures of Kaan taking off, Kaan probably made sure they will not touch their cameras ever again.

 

[Quasar]

It needs to be about 3 times the size to be able to carry the boom necessary to refuel Kaan. Americans spent 10 years to perfect KC-46’s remote controlled boom where the boom operator still sits inside the aircraft. Should be fun for the folks at TAI to master that challenge.

Eventhough retractable refueling probe to KAAN & refueling drogue to ANKA 3 can solve the problem

The Main issue is the amount of fuel which can be carried with current ANKA 3 for refueling role is not really meaningful . Just as an example for MQ 25 the goal is to be able to deliver 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) of fuel. We need to dedicate a few ANKA 3s for each KAAN or at best dedicate one Anka 3 to a single KAAN to deliver may be one and a half 300 gallon drop tank worth of fuel

Again just as another exapmple F 16 have three diffrent type of drop tanks 300, 370 and 600 gallons

-we will need a bigger boat

-and even more importatly retractable refueling probe for KAAN has never ever been mentioned even once yet.

 

[UkroTurk]

UAVs have reached to their limits , there is no alternative of manned fighters. We want KAANs more and more . New softwares and AI technology could make flights easy and semi autonomous. We don't even know what is the flight/ mission computer and software of KAAN. I think KAAN could land and take off autonomously. Also The fighter must be engage and approach autonomously on targets. Pilot doesn't have to push hundred buttons and levers.

 

[TheInsider]

According to conceptual studies adding external fuel tanks to KAAN proved problematic for RCS even though simulated fuel tanks have a stealth design. Drag increase for supercruise is also a problem as stealth fuel tank designs have a higher drag than legacy fuel tanks. It is less of a problem at subsonic speeds. ANKA 3 tanker will be there to replace external fuel tanks. ANKA 3 tanker will be a part of TAI OKU loyal wingman concept. There will be other versions of ANKA 3 like ANKA 3 EW. ANKA 4 is also a part of TAI OKU. Of course, nothing is concrete with the ANKA 3 tanker as TAI OKU loyal wingman concept can still change and it is planned for the 2030s.

 

[Cenkcnk]

My fruit cake flew again

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1787481120872730767

 

[Strong AI]

Another historic moment in history…
Our #KAAN met #GökVatan for the second time today!
We are excited and proud.

Our National Combat Aircraft, which successfully made its first flight on February 21, took off from the runway at 08.46 this morning, stayed in the air for 14 minutes and reached an altitude of 10 thousand feet.
I am full of gratitude that we were able to witness this historical moment together.

I would like to express once again that; This success is the success of our nation's children.
The architect of this success is the will of our President Mr.
@RTErdogan
.
May this historical moment be a gift to our beautiful country and our beloved nation again and again, with the strength and inspiration we receive from our nation!

I wholeheartedly congratulate all our companies, employees and institutional personnel who contributed to the project, especially our TAI engineers, pilots and technical teams.

With confident steps towards mass production, our skies are in safe hands with our local and national technologies!

@TUSAS_TR

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1787482994925600958

 

[Strong AI]

The Elevators are no more "dancing"

 

[Boykaz]

Very beautiful

 

[moz68k]

Yeah, looks like they tuned the PID controllers with data from the first flight. I hope they keep GTU-0 flying, if only for testing avionics and basic flight controls.

 

[Strong AI]

I hope they keep GTU-0 flying, if only for testing avionics and basic flight controls.

It should fly together with ANKA 3 and KIZILELMA at the next TEKNOFEST. Good PR

 

[B_A]

Good luck maintaining thousands of Kaan’s. Anyway, I think the initial order of 250 Kaan’s will get lowered in the coming years. But let’s wait and see.

Impossible.

In Turkish style the order will never get lowered but just delayed and delayed like the Tanks.

 

[IC3M@N FX]

Turkey cannot afford KAAN 500+ it is simply too expensive in the long term.
130-150 TAI KAANs is realistic, and I hope that right after the series production of TAI KAAN starts they develop a small stealth fighter jet as a single jet with delta canard based on TAI KAAN, which is also suitable for aircraft carriers. In the long term, these should then replace the F-16, ideally producing 300-500 of them.
It would also be the ideal aircraft for export to countries in Africa in the Middle and Far East.
The primary target should then be a 6th generation stealth fighter jet, and the KAAN chapter should be closed after 200-300+ inclusive Export at the latest, and only focus on combat upgrades.

Apart from that, manned flight will be dead in 20-30 years anyway, at the latest when 6+ or 7 generation fighter aircraft have a hybrid approach, flying both manned and unmanned, because the pilots simply can no longer keep up with the AI and its reaction time, let alone the G forces that a machine can withstand compared to a human.