Ankara accelerates production of TFX 5th Gen Turkish fighter jets

August 2020 news defense aviation aerospace air force industry

Turkish Aerospace confirms that the TF-X 5th Gen Turkish Fighter will exit the production line on 18 March 2023. A brand new factory within the Turkish Aviation and Space Industry (TUSAŞ) premises has been created to accelerate the construction of the fighter.

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Ankara accelerates production of TFX 5th Gen Turkish fighter jets 925 001TFX 5th Gen Turkish Fighter. (Picture source: TAI)

Ankara is accelerating its indigenous fighter development following its ouster from the F-35 program over S-400 row. In February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented that building the TF-X was “the best response to those threatening to end Turkey’s involvement in the F-35 program.”

The facility will house a hanger, wind tunnel and lightning test centers. In February 2020, Turkish media reported that Ankara plans to establish a center to facilitate the testing of aircraft against the effects of lightning, within the scope of its project to develop the fifth-generation TF-X National Combat Aircraft (MMU).

The new jet will replace Turkey’s old F-16s and will first be powered by F-16 engines after which it will be replaced by domestic ones.

Ankara accelerates production of TFX 5th Gen Turkish fighter jets 925 002TFX 5th Gen Turkish Fighter. (Picture source: TAI)

About TF-X aircraft:

TF-X aircraft will be a multi-role aircraft, it will be designed mainly for an air-to-air role with consideration to air-to-surface roles as well. Upon engineering analysis, preliminary calculations, based on received information of suppliers of candidate engines, TF-X aircraft is decided to be a twin-engine configuration.

Turkish Fighter-TF, the 5+ Generation Multirole Fighter Aircraft, provides significant capabilities in both Air to Surface and Air to Air combat requirements. Turkish Aerospace’s survivable, strong and agile platform Turkish Fighter is a fully aware warrior, with intelligent and strong combat capabilities.

The TF-X 2023, 21 meters in length, 14 meters in width and 6 meters in height can reach the speed of 1,8 Mach. The first flight is planned to be made in 2023 and the prototype of the aircraft is planned to be completed within these periods.