Turkish Aerospace Industries’ Kaan fighter jet program to give Türkiye head start over stalled European projects Tempest and FCAS, thanks to massive investments, says company CEO
Türkiye has outpaced European manufacturers in advanced jet development as some projects in the bloc have yet to begin, the CEO of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) said during a conference at the Turkish Embassy in Berlin, Germany.
Mehmet Demiroglu stated that while the Tempest and FCAS programs in Europe have been stalling, the TAI Kaan combat aircraft made its first flight in February 2024.
He noted that since 2005, the company has created 13 unique platforms and expanded its facility into a 4-million-square-meter campus in Ankara, employing 16,300 people.
Demiroglu added that TAI has become a staple supplier in global civil aviation with critical structural components for nearly every Airbus aircraft in operation.
He mentioned that the newly established space center in Somalia will secure Türkiye’s launch independence in the face of an intensifying global space race.
He stated that the loss of skilled labor to brain drain in the early 2020s has been reversed with “far more workers returning to Türkiye and TAI in particular than leaving.”
Demiroglu added that TAI is also operating Europe’s second-largest subsonic wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing.
He urged young emigrant workers to return home to contribute to the expanding domestic aerospace ecosystem as the country’s tech independence grows with domestic infrastructure investments.
Source: Daily Sabah
