Turkiye’s indigenous fighter jet, Kaan, took off for the first time today from Akıncı Air Base, next to Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) facilities in Kahramankazan, Ankara. The aircraft, escorted by the Turkish fighter jet F-16, performed its maiden flight around the airfield.
Kaan’s first flight was scheduled for December 27, 2023. The aircraft could not perform its flight on an earlier scheduled date as its technical problems were not overcome on time even though Turkish Aerospace teams worked on the project on 7/24 with three consecutive shifts.
The aircraft is the one that was displayed on May 1, 2023, at Akıncı Air Base to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This aircraft, however, was not compatible with flying in terms of flight requirements at that time. The displayed aircraft in the crowd was built for ground tests. The same aircraft has received permission for airworthiness after fundamental changes. For example, the landing gear is no longer the same. The entire aircraft was put in pieces and reassembled according to flight requirements. All harnesses, for example, were checked pin to pin with all safety measures.
The aircraft was planned to reach 14,000 feet altimeter on the scheduled flight on December 27, 2023. This time, the altitude is not known. It most probably followed the earlier planned route.
KAAN took off from the Akıncı Air Base at 08:50 A.M. Turkish Aerospace President and CEO Temel Kotil stated that the aircraft was airborne for 13 minutes and reached 8000 feet altitude. It flew at the speed of 230 knots.
The Landing gear was not retracted as part of the safety rules during the entire flight. This safety measure is a standard precaution in case there is a malfunction on the aircraft or on the landing gear. Most probably, TUSAŞ Test Pilot Barbaros Demirbaş was in the cockpit on that flight.
KAAN is designed as a multi-role aircraft, mainly for air domination with a consideration of air-to-surface roles. The fighter will benefit from
• Augmented lethality with support of Artificial Intelligence and Neural Networks
• Increased air-to-air engagement ranges with Novel Weapons
• Precise and accurate weapon firing from internal weapon bays at high/supersonic speed
to reach its air domination role.
TECHNICAL DATA
Dimensions / WeightPerformance
| Wing Span | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Length | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Hight | 6 m (20 ft) |
Performance
| Engine Thrust Class | 2x 29.000 lb |
| Maximum Speed | 1,8 Mach |
| Service Ceiling | 55.000 ft |
| Positive / Negative G Limits | +9g / 3,5g |
