Turkish Aerospace CEO Claims KAAN Fighter Jet Surpasses F-35, Experts Urge Caution

Temel Kotil, CEO of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has ignited a debate in the aviation world by asserting that Turkey's newly developed fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, surpasses the capabilities of the American F-35.

While the claim has generated excitement in Turkey, aerospace experts are urging caution and emphasizing the need for independent verification and analysis before drawing definitive conclusions.

Payload Capacity as a Key Differentiator​

Kotil has highlighted KAAN's larger payload capacity as a significant advantage over the F-35. He states that KAAN can carry 10 tonnes of weaponry, compared to the F-35's 6 tonnes.

This increased capacity could potentially allow KAAN to carry a wider array of munitions and engage in sustained combat operations more effectively. However, experts caution that payload capacity alone does not determine a fighter jet's overall superiority.

The Importance of Stealth and Avionics​

Stealth technology, a critical aspect of modern fighter jets, remains a key area where further assessment is required. While TAI boasts of KAAN's stealth capabilities, the actual radar cross-section (RCS) data, which determines a jet's visibility to radar, has not been publicly released.

Additionally, the sophistication of KAAN's avionics and sensor integration, vital for situational awareness and combat effectiveness, is yet to be fully evaluated.

Overall Performance and Comparative Analysis​

While the successful maiden flight of KAAN marks a significant milestone for the Turkish aerospace industry, experts emphasize the need for a comprehensive assessment of the jet's overall performance.

Metrics such as speed, maneuverability, and operational range all contribute to a fighter jet's effectiveness and must be rigorously tested and compared to established platforms like the F-35.

Geopolitical Considerations​

The exclusion of Turkey from the F-35 program due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system adds another layer of complexity to the discussion. Some analysts believe that the geopolitical tensions between Turkey and the US may influence interpretations of Kotil's claims.

The Need for Independent Verification​

While KAAN holds promise as a significant advancement for Turkish aerospace, experts stress the importance of independent verification and analysis to objectively evaluate its capabilities.

Only through rigorous testing and comparison with established platforms like the F-35 can the true potential of KAAN be ascertained.

 

[Sandeep]

So we should not buy any planes, ships, guns, missiles etc.? Lets just sit on those nukes?

As for permissions, Turkey and Korea are selling far more items than we are. Not to mention, even our products use US/Nato parts. Can we sell Tejas to Russia or Iran? No. Same for Arjun. Or nearly any of our products. So keep dreaming. At least they can sell and use. We can't do anything.

I didn’t say we shouldn’t buy any planes so stop taking what I say to the extreme. We have jets, ammunition, missiles etc so we do have a good defence. But they can’t start a full blown war unless they are prepared to pay a heavy body price and that’s before we would even launch a nuclear missile.

As for selling these planes that they develop it will be much harder to sell and come with restrictions. Turkey isn’t going to be able and sell their jets to just about anyone like Pakistan as even our products that use foreign technology will have restrictions as well. But because they use a lot of western technology they will find it much harder than if they used any Russian technology who would have a more relaxed set of restrictions.

 

[Sandeep]

Even AMCA MK1 will be 4.5 gen. only fighter jet; as it will use GE-F414 engines which is not for stealth jets and so, no super cruise capability! It will use IRST bulb which reflects radar waves easily, it will not have "diamond wedge lens" system and also no EOTS at all... All these are present in F35 and so, it will come to K'aan and KF21 also eventually, via LM. ADA-HAL are 30 years behind KAI and TAI in developments of AMCA TD's even!!

Super cruise isn’t essential for a stealth fighter as the whole point is to hide it from radar. Also even if we hit the super cruise by using wet thrust then it will still give us a good amount of speed and range. Also we aren’t using an exterior IRST bulb that can be picked up with radar. Our jet will also have a EOTS along with having an exterior coating to hide our own IR signature as otherwise it wouldn’t be a stealth jet. So ours will be a truly stealth fighter with a technology that has been developed entirely by ourselves and without any help. Currently we are building the prototype already.

The Turkish jet is just a much inferior licensed F35 jet with using foreign parts. They haven’t developed the stealth technology or any critical technology so they are actually behind us on the scientific knowledge and experience. As for South Korea they don’t have a stealth fighter as it doesn’t have an internal weapon bay to hide the weapons so they might as well be saying hi to the enemy’s air force.