Washington/Ankara: What comes as a big blow to Turkey, the United States has banned the engine supply of the KAAN stealth fighter jet. The development has been confirmed by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, stating that the US Congress has refused to supply the fighter jet’s engine for the ‘Made in Turkey’ fifth-generation fighter jet program – KAAN. This major development has directly affected the Middle Eastern country’s most advanced fighter jet program and forced it to halt for a time being. It also raises several questions about how Turkey will respond to Doland Trump. It is worth noting that the engine supply has been halted at a time when the US was attempting to sell F-35 jets to Turkey.

What Is KAAN Project?

KAAN is Turkey’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet program. The country has already tested the prototype and the jet is in production process. This project is considered a symbol of Turkey’s growing defense infrastructure. It is worth noting that, currently, only US, China, and Russia have developed fifth-generation fighter jets. This is a reason why the project is so crucial for the Middle Eastern country. But the recent halt in the engine supply will affect the pace of the project, halting the production of Turkey’s initial KAAN fighter jets, Block 0 and Block 1.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Turkish Foreign Minister announced that US has halted export licenses for General Electric’s F110 engines.
• Fidan described this halt as a ‘deliberate obstacle’ to Turkey’s aim for independence in national defence.
• He linked the congressional decision to ongoing NATO disputes.
• He accused US of using military technology as a political tool.
• US lawmakers blocked the engine supply due to concerns over Turkey’s alignment with US national security interests and NATO policies.

Is US Doing The Same With Turkey As It Did With India(BHARAT)?

Notably, the US did the same with India(BHARAT), repeatedly halting engine deliveries for the Tejas fighter jet. Turkey had signed a mega deal with the US to purchase GE’s F110 engines for its KAAN fighter jets, but US Congress has halted engine deliveries.

Major Setback For Turkey

The recent decision to halt the fighter jet engines is a major setback for Turkey as it had already been excluded from F-35 stealth fighter jet program due to the purchase of Russian S-400 air defence system. Turkey currently has F-16 fighter jets, but the F-16s are becoming old in modern warfare.

The halt in engine deliveries will create difficulties for Turkey in its defence against Greece and Israel as both the countries possess F-35 stealth fighter jets.

The TRMotor Project

Turkey is also working on an indigenous jet engine project called TRMotor. It is expected to take at least another 10 years to finalise. The country has one option to purchase WS-15 engines from China, but doing so would incur the wrath of the US and NATO.