Turkey's KAAN Jet Is Real — But Can It Survive Without Western Engines?

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:09]Turkey just did something almost no country on Earth has ever done. It built its own stealth fighter jet. Not bought one, not copied one, built one from scratch.

[00:00:25]The jet is called Khan and the world is watching.

[00:00:29]But here is the part nobody is talking about. Turkey still needs American engines to fly it. And that one problem could change everything. Welcome back.

[00:00:43]Today we are going deep into one of the most ambitious military projects happening right now. Turkeykey's Khan fighter jet is a fifth generation stealth aircraft that puts it in the same class as America's F-35 and China's J20.

[00:01:01]Only a handful of countries have ever built something like this. But Turkey is trying to do something even harder. It wants to power that jet with its own engine, too. No American parts, no Western technology, full independence.

[00:01:19]Can they actually do it? Stay with us because this story has twists you won't see coming. Let's start from the beginning. The Khan project began back in 2010. Turkey looked at its aging fleet of Americanmade F-16 fighter jets and made a decision. They would build a replacement and they would build it themselves.

[00:01:46]The project went through many names. For years, it was called TFX.

[00:01:52]Then on May 1st, 2023, it was officially named Khan, a Turkish word meaning ruler.

[00:02:01]The symbolism was clear. Turkey wanted to rule its own destiny in the skies.

[00:02:09]And on February 21st, 2024, Khan made its first flight.

[00:02:15]That moment sent shock waves through the global defense community. A country that just a decade ago had no advanced fighter jet program had just flown a stealth aircraft.

[00:02:29]But this is where things get interesting. Here is the uncomfortable truth behind that historic flight.

[00:02:38]Khan did not fly on a Turkish engine. It flew on American General Electric F-110 engines, the same engines that power the F-16.

[00:02:51]Now, why does that matter? Because if Turkey and the United States ever have a political disagreement, and they have had many, Washington could simply stop delivering those engines. and Turkeykey's most advanced war plane would be grounded.

[00:03:10]This is not just a theory. It has already almost happened. According to reports, Turkey needed US congressional approval just to receive engine deliveries for early production con jets. Think about that. Turkey builds the plane, but another country controls whether it can fly.

[00:03:34]That situation is exactly what Turkey is trying to escape. So Turkey started building its own engine. It is called the TF35000.

[00:03:46]It is being developed by a Turkish state company called TEI, Tousash Engine Industries. This engine is not small.

[00:03:56]According to TEI, it will produce 35,000 lb of thrust. That is enormous power, enough to potentially allow Khan to super cruise, meaning it can fly at supersonic speeds without burning extra fuel in afterburners.

[00:04:14]That is a capability even some NATO jets don't have. Ground testing of the TF35000 is expected to begin in 2026, and if everything goes to plan, it will be integrated into con by 2032.

[00:04:31]But this is where analysts get cautious.

[00:04:34]Building a powerful engine is one of the hardest things in aerospace engineering.

[00:04:40]It takes decades. The United States, Russia, and France have spent generations perfecting it. Turkey is trying to compress that timeline dramatically and that is a significant risk. Here is another layer to this story. Khan is designed to be a stealth aircraft. That means it is shaped to be nearly invisible to enemy radar. But stealth is not just about shape. It also depends on the engine. The heat from an engine's exhaust can be detected by infrared sensors. So the engine must be designed to reduce that heat signature, what experts call a low infrared signature.

[00:05:26]According to TEI, the TF3500 is being built with advanced cooling technology and special heatresistant materials specifically for this reason.

[00:05:37]But here is the thing. Until the engine is fully tested in real flight conditions, nobody knows for certain if Khan's stealth performance will hold up.

[00:05:48]Some analysts believe that full stealth effectiveness will only be proven once all systems, including the indigenous engine, are validated together. And that validation is still years away. So what happens between now and 2032?

[00:06:07]Turkey has a creative but complicated solution. According to reports, engineers plan to build a hybrid con prototype, one that flies with one TF35000 engine and one American F-110 engine at the same time. This would allow them to test the new Turkish engine in real flight conditions while keeping the backup of a proven Western engine on the other side. If the tests go well, full production with the indigenous engine begins.

[00:06:41]If not, they go back to the drawing board. It is an engineering strategy that shows both confidence and caution at the same time. And while all this engine drama is unfolding behind the scenes, something remarkable is happening on the world stage. Other countries are already placing orders for Khan. In June 2025, Indonesia became the first international buyer, signing a deal for 48 con aircraft. The contract is reportedly worth around $10 billion, one of the largest defense deals in Turkeykey's history. And just recently, Turkeykey's own defense agency signed a contract for the first 20 conjur force. Deliveries are expected between 2028 and 2030.

[00:07:35]That is real money, real commitment, real pressure.

[00:07:40]Because now Turkey does not just have to develop this jet for itself. It has to deliver it to a paying customer on time.

[00:07:50]The financial stakes have never been higher. Let's talk about money for a moment. Building a fifth generation stealth jet from scratch is extraordinarily expensive.

[00:08:04]Developing an engine to match it is even more expensive.

[00:08:09]Turkey is trying to do both at once.

[00:08:13]Analysts say the financial pressure on Turkeykey's defense industry is immense.

[00:08:19]The country is essentially betting that it can outenineer a technological challenge that has defeated many larger nations.

[00:08:29]Some experts believe Turkey can pull it off, pointing to its successful drone programs like the famous Brocktar TB2 as proof that the country's aerospace industry is maturing fast.

[00:08:43]Others are more skeptical. They argue that an engine for a supersonic stealth fighter is a completely different level of complexity.

[00:08:54]What happens next surprised many observers because despite all the doubt, Turkey has continued to move forward faster than many expected. Here is the big picture. What Turkey is attempting with Khan is not just about one jet. It is about something much larger. For decades, smaller nations had two choices when it came to advanced military aircraft. Buy from America or buy from Russia. You accepted their technology.

[00:09:29]You accepted their conditions. You accepted their power over you. Turkey is trying to write a third option. Build your own. Control your own. Answer to no one. And the world is watching because if Turkey succeeds, it sends a message to every country that has ever felt trapped by dependence on foreign defense suppliers. It says you can break free.

[00:10:00]But the road to that freedom comes with a price tag most countries cannot afford and an engineering challenge most cannot survive.

[00:10:09]Turkey is betting it is different. The con engine saga will tell us within this decade whether that bet pays off. So there you have it. Turkeykey's con fighter jet is real. It has flown.

[00:10:26]Countries are buying it. But the engine that will truly make it independent. The TF35000 is still years away from being ready.

[00:10:38]Until then, Turkey walks a careful line between ambition and dependency.

[00:10:45]This is one of the most important defense stories of our time, and we will keep following it closely.

[00:10:53]Now, we want to hear from you. Do you think Turkey can build a worldclass engine to match the con, or will the US dependency slow everything down? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. And if you want more global military and geopolitical news like this, hit subscribe and turn on notifications. We cover the stories the world needs to understand. See you in the next one.