TRMotor (Where BMC had a share) and TAEC (Kale + RR) do not intersect, they are 2 different concerns. This means that TRMotor has taken on a difficult task and in case of failure, TEI will be to blame and the contract may well go to Kale, but judging by the successes and the increase in Turkey's defense budget, TEI is optimistic. He terminated the partnership due to losing the tender. I just watched the interviews of the chief designers (They were translated into English) of the Kaan program, I see successes in engine manufacturing in Turkey, I see how the Turks buy advanced equipment and spend a lot of money on military research, why should I deny their successes? Maybe RR and the Turkish government secretly agreed on assistance, this could help explain Turkey's technological leap, but so far there is no evidence of this. RR did not offer the EJ200, which it does not fully own, but the development of a new engine using EJ200 technologies. In the democratic USA, the plaintiffs against Boeing died "completely by accident", so the form of government plays a very small role here, totalitarian China often confirms its words with a real demonstration, for example. Ivchenko-Progress is developing the APU with the transfer of rights to Turkey. A very pragmatic move, instead of wasting time and equipment.
One of the most authoritative British "cabinet centers", by the way. 2 unsuccessful launches in a row, and in the last case with damage to the carrier. Trident has not been produced for a long time, this is their main problem, as in the case of the American Minuteman. TEI did not receive a contract from Baykar, why should it develop an engine for its own money? TEI talks about the possibility of creating it in case of payment, but so far the US and Ukraine have not imposed an embargo on the supply of engines for Akinci, therefore there is no demand. Ukraine will certainly not impose it, since it is a country with leaky pockets. Safran produced the hot section for the SaM-146, which is installed on the Sukhoi SuperJet. Safran produces the hot section for the M88, Safran produces the cold section for CFM and is a contractor for other companies. SuperJet does not need high thrust, as it is a regional aircraft, low thrust of M88 (not much lower than EJ200) is due to compactness and underfunding, and Safran has already started work on increasing the power by 30% in approximately the same dimensions. Again, Safran (Snecma) had a more powerful M53, so what? Considering that the EJ200 is based on the English XG-40, it was probably highly modified. Moreover, even the M53 had the potential to increase thrust in the same dimensions, but since the Mirage 2000 assembly line was closed prematurely, this version remained a prototype.
Safran is capable of creating a new engine, but what will MTU do if Germany leaves FCAS? Especially since Safran will be developing 3 projects simultaneously - a new version of the M88, an engine for AMCA and an engine for FCAS.
Yes, TRMotor and TAEC are different entities- congratulations, you can read an org chart. But the reason Ankara keeps floating the idea of merging TEI, TRMotor, and TAEC is because they don’t have the
complete stack to field a modern fighter engine. Buying some five-axis machines and announcing “optimism” doesn’t suddenly mean you’ve cracked single-crystal blade casting, advanced TBCs, or high-pressure compressor stability. That’s the part everyone struggles with, and no, you don’t brute-force your way through it with budget increases. The whole “Turkey’s leap forward must mean RR secretly helped them” is just a plain
conspiracy.
And the RR/EJ200 bit? Again, you’re twisting reality. RR didn’t “refuse to offer the EJ20” because it’s not theirs alone to give away. It’s a shared IP across RR, MTU, Avio, and ITP. What
was on the table was a co-developed new engine using EJ200 experience. That’s how the real world works: shared development, shared risk, shared IP. Meanwhile, pretending that “TEI optimism” is the same as flight-certified, high-thrust engines is like saying buying a treadmill makes you Usain Bolt. The deal fell through because of Turkey's demands on ToT and IP- they demanded
100% of everything, which was unacceptable to RR, hence RR pulled out. And of course, Turkey, being an authoritarian state, didn't want to be seen red-faced, and spewed propaganda throughout claiming 'IP issues were resolved' and that they 'choose an indigenous engine because its better'. You took what they served and gulped it down obviously, since your parroting the same thing over and over.
Then you veered off into Trident and Minuteman like you’re trying to pad a term paper. A couple of bad test launches don’t mean “deterrent collapse.” Trident II D5/D5LE has one of the strongest reliability records in SLBM history. You seem to ignore the fact that the Trident has been reliable through
hundreds of successful launches and tests, yet you like to cherry-pick
two incidents- again proving your personal bias and political intentions.
Now, about Safran. Yes, they do the M88 hot section. In CFM, GE keeps the crown jewels (hot section, etc) under lock-and-key, while Safran is relegated to the role of a subcontractor for the other systems. However, no one disputes they can design. But your “Safran can just whip up a 30% uprated M88 while also handling AMCA and FCAS engines” is a joke. This stuff takes years, test rigs, validation loops, and supply chain depth. They’re already stretched with three concurrent programs- you can’t run infinite development projects just because a PowerPoint slide says so.
And now the M53 propaganda: its laughable how you tout it as some 'engineering marvel' of the future, when in reality it is a highly inefficient, old, and obsolete engine. It has
horrible efficiency, dimensions, weight, and its T/W ratio- it is decisively outclassed by
every modern engine available. Heres an example:
Feature M53 AL31F
Dry thrust 64.7kn 76.49kn
Wet thrust 95.1kn 122.6kn
T/W 6.5:1 8.22:1
Weight 3340 lbs 3350 lbs
Plus, the fact that the M53 is a
single-spool engine is the nail in the coffin- modern
dual-spoon or multi-spool engines outclass it in every way.
And MTU? Stop writing them off like they’re just bolting parts together. MTU is
the design authority on key EJ200 modules and specializes in life-cycle management, blisks, and sustainment-basically the parts of the engine that stop it from eating itself alive after 200 cycles. Without MTU, Europe doesn’t have a sustainable 5th-gen engine ecosystem. Your “what will MTU do if Germany leaves FCAS?” line just exposes that you don’t even follow the program. Your favorites, the French, themselves acknowledge that MTU's expertise and niches are required for the FCAS engine program. It is widely known that MTU is the
world leader in cold-section tech, pioneering blisks, LPTs, etc. They have a niche which they
dominate in. In the FCAS, the engine depends on both Safran
and MTU, the airframe pillar runs on both Dassault
and Airbus, and the EW
depends heavily on Hensoldt/Airbus DE/ES. Remove Germany, and you don't have FCAS- you have a press release.
As for TEI and Baykar, yes, Akinci flies on Ukrainian and Western turboprops. TEI has floated the idea of a homegrown one “if someone pays for it.” That’s not an accomplishment, that’s a sales pitch. None of that translates into producing a 35,000 lbf-class stealth turbofan. It’s apples to oranges, but you keep throwing it in like it matters. And don't get me started on the way you seem to think that they can put a
turbofan engine on a
turboprop (propeller)-based platform. It's ridiculous, and highlights your extreme lack of knowledge in even the most basic points.
So, reality check for you: TEI/TRMotor are making progress, but they’re nowhere near having a flight-proven 5th-gen engine. RR’s JV died on politics, not because “Turkey was too advanced.” Trident is alive and well, not collapsing. Safran is stretched thin already. MTU is absolutely critical, not replaceable. And FCAS without Germany? Pure fantasy. So maybe stop cobbling together lines from propaganda, and look at real data.