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RIYADH—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hinted that Saudi Arabia could be on the cusp of becoming a partner on the Turkish Kaan fighter program.
Speaking to journalists following visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Feb. 5, Erdogan said Turkey is signing “important cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia in the defense industry, and we are determined to further develop them.” Referencing Kaan, Erdogan said, “there is a possibility of joint investment with Saudi Arabia in this area … we can realize this joint investment at any time."
Saudi Arabia has long shown interest in the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)-developed twin-engine fighter aircraft, with several delegations from Riyadh visiting the company’s facilities in Ankara. Riyadh has long expressed a wish to secure full partner status on a next-generation fighter program and has assessed programs in Europe and in Asia.
What may count in Turkey and Kaan’s favor is the increasingly tight relationship between Ankara and Riyadh—which has already resulted in the sale of dozens of Baykar-developed uncrewed aircraft systems—and the close-knit collaboration between Saudi and Turkish industry. Dozens of Turkish companies are represented at this year’s World Defense Show here, being held Feb. 8-12.
Erdogan met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Feb. 4, during which they discussed the need to activate a series of agreements on defense cooperation as well as further strengthen defense relations through multilateral cooperation platforms, a joint statement published after the meeting states.
TAI is presenting a scale model of the Kaan on its stand wearing a Saudi flag on the tail. It is flanked by a pair of TAI’s flying-wing Anka III uncrewed combat air vehicles, highlighting the company’s work on crewed-uncrewed teaming. A deal with Saudi Arabia could help light the afterburners of the Kaan program in a crucial year for the project as TAI prepares the first prototypes to fly before the summer.
Indonesia is the first country to sign up to acquire the Kaan, forging initial agreements with Ankara to acquire 48 of the aircraft last summer.
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