Saudi Arabia advances toward Kaan fighter deal with Türkiye in 2026.

During World Defense Show 2026, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager, Mehmet Demiroğlu, stated that Saudi Arabia could sign a concrete agreement on the Kaan fighter jet with Türkiye in 2026.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency on February 8, 2026, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager, Mehmet Demiroğlu, stated that negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on the Kaan fighter jet have reached an advanced stage and may lead to a formal agreement in 2026. The talks cover potential aircraft acquisition, local production options, and broader defense industrial cooperation aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
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Negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on the Kaan fighter program have reached an advanced stage and may lead to an agreement in 2026, with earlier reports citing the procurement of up to 100 Kaan fighter jets. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager, Mehmet Demiroğlu, stated in Riyadh that negotiations with Saudi Arabia regarding its potential participation in the Kaan fifth-generation fighter program have reached the highest level and could lead to a concrete agreement in 2026. The discussions are conducted under intergovernmental coordination through Türkiye’s Presidency of Defense Industries and are structured around different cooperation models ranging from direct procurement to joint production and industrial partnership. The announcement was made during the World Defense Show 2026, where TAI highlighted both the Kaan's manned-unmanned teaming capability and a broader cooperation track with Saudi Arabia, including helicopter production and assembly options.

TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu said that Saudi Arabia has been among the countries maintaining a sustained interest in the Turkish Kaan fighter jet and that the scale of cooperation remains open, including direct purchase, joint production, or participation at the highest level within the development ecosystem. He indicated that quantities under discussion depend on the selected model, but he cited figures such as 20, 50, and potentially up to 100 fighter jets, while stating that the number would not be limited to 3 to 5 units. He clarified that establishing a final assembly line or more industrial infrastructure in Saudi Arabia would not be economically viable for a batch of 20 aircraft and would require higher volumes, such as 50 or 100 Kaan jets for the Saudi Air Force, to justify the infrastructure and supply chain investments. From TAI’s perspective, the scale of acquisition is therefore directly linked to the feasibility of local production lines, workforce development, and long-term sustainment structures.

Demiroğlu further stated that production-line feasibility assessments typically view 100 aircraft as a strong benchmark, while TAI considers that threshold reducible to 50 under certain conditions. From TAI’s perspective, setting up a production line in Saudi Arabia would require at least 50 Kaan fighters and at least 50 Gökbey helicopters to ensure economic sustainability. The model could therefore combine Kaan and Gökbey procurement with local assembly, technology transfer, and long-term sustainment arrangements depending on Saudi requirements and industrial capacity. The discussions, therefore, include both models within a broader industrial model aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives to expand domestic defense manufacturing capacity. During the exhibition, meetings were also scheduled to continue negotiations on Gökbey, and TAI also confirmed that it plans to open an office in Saudi Arabia within months, positioning it as a regional hub capable of influencing broader Middle Eastern markets.

Let's remind that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated on February 5, 2026, that a joint investment with Saudi Arabia in the Kaan fighter program could be realized at any time following high-level meetings in Riyadh and Cairo. He linked the possibility of cooperation to growing international interest in Türkiye’s defense industry output and framed the Kaan as part of a broader industrial and technological effort. Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia reached $8 billion in 2025, and Turkish contractors have completed more than 400 projects in the Kingdom valued at $30 billion. Saudi Arabia’s interest in the Kaan aligns with its longer-standing effort to secure a role in a next-generation fighter program and expand domestic aerospace manufacturing capacity under Vision 2030 objectives. At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s formal request to acquire 48 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets has progressed within the U.S. defense review framework, according to officials familiar with the process.

In parallel with the fighter discussions, TAI signed a long-term memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Ministry of Investment and the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) to explore the final assembly of the Gökbey helicopter in the Kingdom, alongside maintenance, repair, and manufacturing of avionics, hydraulics, and cabin interiors. The proposal includes the potential production of multiple variants in Saudi Arabia, covering civil, naval, and air force configurations, as a step toward establishing a larger TAI industrial presence in the country. This was not the first Saudi MOU concerning the Gökbey, as a similar agreement was signed during the World Defense Show 2024 with the National Company for Mechanical Systems to examine local assembly.

At World Defense Show 2026, TAI displayed a Kaan scale model bearing a Saudi flag on the tail and presented a digital Autonomous Wingman Flight concept pairing Kaan with two ANKA-III unmanned combat aircraft in a manned-unmanned teaming configuration. The synchronized demonstration depicted coordinated hangar exit, formation flight, maneuver execution, and simulated attack missions, supported by LED displays and four touchscreen interfaces offering layered digital access to product data and 360-degree models. TAI stated that similar digital presentation concepts will be used in exhibitions in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom later in 2026, with planned application to HÜRJET and Gökbey as well. The company also indicated that artificial intelligence will be integrated into the digital environment over time, and that communication, firing, and guidance links between Kaan and ANKA-III are planned to be operational before Kaan enters Turkish Air Force service.

The Kaan fighter program originates from Türkiye’s decision in the early 2010s to develop a national next-generation combat aircraft to replace aging F-16 fleets and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. In terms of propulsion, early production aircraft in Block 10 and Block 20 configurations will use two General Electric F110 engines, each delivering thrust in the 29,000 to 30,000-pound range. Between 20 and 40 aircraft are expected to be produced with the F110 before transition to the indigenous TF35000 turbofan, developed by TRMotor and TUSAŞ Engine Industries, designed to deliver about 35,000 pounds of thrust. The Kaan will feature eight internal and six external hardpoints and is equipped with a 30x113 mm gun. Air-to-air weapons include Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan missiles and a future ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range missile, while air-to-surface options include SOM-series cruise missiles, Kuzgun variants, Akbaba anti-radiation missiles, Roketsan Çakir missiles, and guided bombs such as SARB-83 and NEB-84 bunker-buster types.

Regarding program development, three dedicated flight prototypes are currently central to the airborne test campaign, while the earlier engineering prototype that completed two flights in 2024 is now reserved for ground and system-level testing. The first true flight prototype is scheduled to fly by May or June 2026 after resonance, fuel system, electrical, and system validation testing, and serial production deliveries are targeted for 2029. The maiden flight on February 21, 2024, lasted 13 minutes, reaching 8,000 feet at 230 knots, followed by a second flight on May 6, 2024, reaching 10,000 feet at a similar speed. Saudi Arabia’s interest is linked to its long-standing effort to join a next-generation fighter program and its inability to acquire the F-35 despite repeated requests since 2012, while Indonesia has already signed initial agreements for 48 Kaan fighter jets, and further large export announcements are expected in 2026 or early the following year.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.