Turkey pushes KAAN stealth jet as tensions with Israel deepen

Ankara accelerates its KAAN stealth fighter programme as Israeli strikes in Syria and opposition to Turkish F-35 access raise the stakes.

06.09.2026

By Sam Hamad

Source:https://www.newarab.com/news/turkey-pushes-kaan-stealth-jet-tensions-israel-deepen

Turkey is accelerating development of its fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet as Ankara seeks greater military independence amid increasingly open tensions with Israel and Israeli strikes targeting potential Turkish military expansion in Syria.

The Turkish-built fighter is intended eventually to provide Ankara with a sovereign alternative to the US-made F-35, a programme Turkey was expelled from after acquiring Russia's S-400 air defence system.

Turkey had been a partner in the F-35 programme and planned to operate the stealth fighter before Washington removed Ankara and later imposed sanctions over the S-400 purchase.

The setback left Turkey without an operational fifth-generation fighter, while Israel operates the F-35I Adir, giving it a significant advantage in stealth air power.

KAAN, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), is intended to narrow that gap while reducing Ankara's dependence on foreign suppliers for advanced military capabilities.

The aircraft's first prototype flew in February 2024, while a newer prototype began taxi tests in July as Turkey moves towards a more advanced phase of testing.

Turkish officials say the aircraft was designed domestically from the ground up as part of a decades-long effort to establish an independent combat aircraft industry.

KAAN is being developed with stealth, internal weapons carriage, advanced radar, electronic warfare and sensor fusion.

These technologies intend to make the aircraft harder to detect and allow pilots to combine information from multiple sensors into a single battlefield picture.

However, one of the programme's biggest remaining challenges is the engine.

KAAN's prototypes and initial production aircraft rely on US-made General Electric F110 engines.

Turkey is developing the TF35000, a domestic 35,000-pound-thrust-class engine intended eventually to power KAAN, but Turkish Aerospace has indicated that integration is targeted for around 2032.

Developing an advanced fighter engine is particularly difficult because it requires technologies including heat-resistant alloys, turbine cooling, precision manufacturing and sophisticated digital controls.

Until Turkey succeeds, KAAN will reduce some forms of foreign dependence while retaining another through its reliance on US propulsion.

Israeli aggression raises the stakes

That vulnerability has become more significant as relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated.

Syria has emerged as a major arena of tension since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the emergence of a new government closely aligned with Ankara.

In April 2025, Israel struck the T4, Palmyra and Hama airbases after Turkish military teams had inspected the facilities as Ankara considered expanding its military presence in Syria.

Sources told Reuters at the time that the attack rendered T4 effectively unusable, with one regional intelligence official describing the strikes as a message that Israel would not accept an expanded Turkish presence.

Tensions escalated further in August, when Israel bombed the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria after claiming Turkish troops were preparing to deploy there.

Turkey and Syria denied that any permanent Turkish deployment was planned.

US envoy Tom Barrack later said US intelligence had examined the Israeli claim and concluded that Turkey was not moving military assets into the base.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nevertheless warned that Israel would not tolerate an expanding Turkish military presence in Syria.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has also warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against what he described as "dangerous" military moves in Syria and against testing Israel's willingness to act.

Israel has also opposed Turkey regaining access to the F-35.

Netanyahu said in July that he opposed a possible US sale of the aircraft to Ankara, arguing that it could alter the regional balance of power.

President Donald Trump has signalled a willingness to reconsider Turkey's access to the F-35, although political and legal obstacles remain.

For Ankara, Israel's fifth-generation air advantage, its strikes on Syrian military infrastructure linked to possible Turkish deployments and its opposition to Turkey acquiring F-35s add further strategic importance to KAAN.

A mature KAAN equipped with a Turkish engine, radar, electronic warfare systems and weapons would give Ankara a degree of independent high-end air power it currently lacks.

Israel, however, already operates a mature and combat-tested F-35 fleet, while KAAN remains in development.

Turkey is also seeking foreign partners for the programme, with Saudi Arabia in advanced discussions over possible involvement.

If Ankara succeeds in combining KAAN with a domestically produced engine and indigenous combat systems, the fighter could significantly reduce Turkey's reliance on Washington while beginning to narrow one of Israel's most important technological advantages over it.