Türkiye’s KAAN fighter jet programme has entered a new phase after the administration of US President Donald Trump notified Congress in June 2026 of its intention to proceed with a jet engine deal for Türkiye worth more than US$700 million.
The deal concerns F110 engines from GE Aerospace, the same engine family used by KAAN during its first flight. Türkiye needs these engines to expand testing and move towards the first production batches, while continuing to develop its national TF35000 engine for later versions of the aircraft.
If approved, the deal would give Ankara both engineering and political time in one of the most complex parts of fighter jet manufacturing. It would also help protect KAAN’s schedule from engine-production delays during the programme’s first phase.
At the same time, the deal remains tied to a sensitive process inside the US Congress, against a broader background that includes the Russian S-400 system, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA, and Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 programme.
In this sense, the KAAN programme is moving along two parallel tracks. The first relies on a ready and proven engine already familiar to Turkish industry through the F-16 fleet. The second depends on a future national engine that would give Türkiye broader sovereignty over production, modification and export. This is why F110 engines appear to be a valuable transitional solution until Türkiye achieves its ambition of producing a fully domestic engine.
Why Did KAAN Choose the F110 Family?
The agreement to develop Türkiye’s fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet was signed between Turkish Aerospace Industries, TUSAŞ, and Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries, SSB, on 5 August 2016.
KAAN carried out its first flight on 21 February 2024 using two General Electric F110 engines. The flight lasted 13 minutes, reached an altitude of 8,000 feet and a speed of 230 knots.
TUSAŞ then conducted a second test flight on 6 May 2024, lasting 14 minutes and reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet. KAAN’s official brochure lists engine thrust at two engines in the 29,000-pound class, which aligns with the F110-GE-129 category.
In the background of the project is TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI, while GE produces the F110 engine family that has become central to discussions around KAAN’s first phase.
The F110 is an afterburning turbofan engine. GE lists its basic thrust class at approximately 29,000 pounds, while company data shows its use on fighter jets such as the F-16C/D and F-15EX.
TEI states that F110 applications include the F-16, F-15 and F-14 platforms, and that the company has become an authorised centre for assembly, inspection, testing and maintenance of this engine.
This background makes the F110 closely aligned with Türkiye’s military and industrial environment and suitable for a transitional stage in which KAAN needs a familiar, low-risk engine.
On 21 June 2023, TEI said it had extended its agreement with GE for F110 engine maintenance services for F-16 and F-15 operators in several countries. It also said it had produced F110 engines for the entire F-16 fleet of the Turkish Air Force. Its data further states that it has manufactured more than 300 engines of this type, along with more than 100 different parts for it.
Türkiye’s need for additional engines is linked to the expansion of its testing campaign and the beginning of production. Türkiye Today reported on 19 June 2025 that six aircraft would enter the testing campaign, and that the target was to deliver the first early versions of KAAN, known as Block 10, around 2028.
Then, on 8 May 2026, the US defence industry outlet Breaking Defence reported, citing the CEO of TUSAŞ, that the first batch for the Turkish Air Force would consist of 20 aircraft in the Block 10 configuration. This makes the F110 a transitional engine that enables wider testing and early production.
In parallel, Türkiye’s domestic pathway continues through the TF35000 engine, being developed in partnership with TRMOTOR under the sponsorship of the Presidency of Defence Industries. The engine is designed to produce 35,000 pounds of thrust, meeting the requirements of a fifth-generation fighter.
Türkiye Today reported on 29 July 2025 that initial engine tests were targeted for 2026, and that integration with KAAN would begin from 2032. Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler indicated in December 2025 that the engine had been planned for Block 30 and Block 40 platforms.
In September 2025, Haluk Görgün, head of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries, said KAAN’s future would not depend on the engine of one country. That statement summarises the programme’s logic: F110 engines give the aircraft operational and testing capability in the first phase, while the TF35000 remains the wager for the more mature versions of the project.
What Does Türkiye Gain From the Potential Deal?
Türkiye’s first gain is time. If the larger deal is completed, KAAN will have a reserve of engines that supports its transition from experimental flight to the first production batches.
On 26 December 2025, Türkiye’s defence minister said that 10 F110-GE-129E engines had been delivered by September 2025, and that discussions with the US government were continuing over 80 additional engines under the deal that has now returned to the forefront.
Haluk Görgün also explained that all engines required for the prototypes had been supplied and delivered to Türkiye, and that the formal American request for engines for a specified number of first-batch aircraft had been completed.
The second gain is industrial. The existence of an established Turkish base around the F110 makes integration into KAAN easier in terms of ground testing, personnel qualification, maintenance chains and supply systems.
TEI confirms that it has conducted assembly and testing activities for F110 engines belonging to the Turkish F-16 fleet. GE also stressed in March 2025 that the F110 remains in active production, has completed 40 years of production and continuous improvement, and has exceeded 11 million flight hours.
These figures give Türkiye a reliable bridge engine during a stage in which the national fighter programme cannot afford disruption that would slow its progress.
The third gain relates to market and operator confidence. GE says 17 countries have chosen aircraft powered by F110 engines, that the engine powers a significant portion of front-line fighters in the US Air Force, and that it is used across the entire new F-15EX fleet.
For KAAN, this background helps present the project to domestic and international customers as a programme progressing with a well-known and widely used engine.
This factor is especially important in relation to exports, particularly to Indonesia. In late July 2025, Jakarta signed a contract with Türkiye to purchase 48 KAAN aircraft. TUSAŞ confirmed that the contract was final and binding and that it included local manufacturing capacity-building and training.
In September 2025, Haluk Görgün said the KAAN aircraft intended for Indonesia would operate with the Turkish national engine. Therefore, the F110’s impact on exports appears indirect at this stage. It strengthens customer confidence in the programme and prevents disruption to testing and early batches, while later deals remain tied to the maturity of the Turkish version powered by the national engine.
In this picture, the deal’s gains lie in buying engineering time, expanding testing margins, increasing the ability to produce more early aircraft, and providing a confidence layer for both the Turkish Air Force and external customers.
What Are the Main Obstacles to Passing the Deal?
The deal entered a formal American track in June 2026, when the Trump administration notified Congress that it intended to proceed with the sale of dozens of jet engines to Türkiye at a value exceeding US$700 million.
US rules governing the export of defence articles explain the approval process. The Directorate of Defence Trade Controls, DDTC, under the State Department, states in its guidance updated to 6 June 2024 that requests requiring notification first pass through an informal review by the relevant committees, then move to formal notification to Congress. After that, approval for NATO countries cannot be granted until 15 calendar days after formal receipt.
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency, DSCA, refers to the same period for NATO countries in major notified deals.
Political obstacles, however, remain present. Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks objected during the informal review and did not give the green light, criticising what he considered an insufficient briefing from the administration. He also said these materials would not be delivered for years.
Representative Chris Pappas also opposed the deal, while Representative Dina Titus threatened to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval.
Legally, any resolution of disapproval would need to pass through both chambers of Congress and then receive the president’s signature or overcome a possible veto. This makes blocking the package difficult, but still leaves political room for objection and bargaining.
The deeper political background to possible obstruction centres on the S-400, CAATSA and the F-35. Türkiye was removed from the F-35 programme and subjected to CAATSA sanctions because it acquired the Russian S-400 system.
US law did not allow Türkiye to operate or possess the Russian system if it wanted to return to the F-35. Congress had also previously passed legislation prohibiting F-35 sales to Ankara as long as the S-400 remained in its possession.
The F110 deal therefore moves along a narrower and more specific track, while the F-35 remains a far heavier legal and political obstacle.
The F110 gives Türkiye valuable time, eases the pressure on testing and production, and supports the first batches.
However, it does not remove the need for a mature national engine that gives Ankara full sovereignty over modification, pricing, exports and production pace, away from any external approvals. Haluk Görgün continues to insist that the final aircraft in serial production will fly with a Turkish engine.
