England became a partner in Turkey's National Combat Aircraft project!

Britain's largest Defense Industry company BAE Systems has announced that technology transfer has been made for the National Combat Aircraft.

F-35

Britain's largest Defense Industry company BAE Systems, in a post on its Twitter account, said that engineers and technology transfer were made for Turkey's National Combat Aircraft project (also known as TF-X, Turkish Fighter). Here are the details…

England is transferring technology for the National Combat Aircraft!

After the Cyprus Peace Operation, Turkey laid the foundations of its own domestic and national projects due to the US and European embargoes. Especially in the last 20 years, our companies such as ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, ROKETSAN and TUSAŞ have made their mark among the world's leading Defense Industry giants.

In fact, today it has become such that Radar systems produced by countries such as France, which once wanted to extend the embargo period, currently include parts produced by ASELSAN. But the Defense Industry has always been an area where the United States kept its strings tight to keep Turkey under control.

Therefore, after many unpleasant incidents in the past years, the USA started an embargo process again by seizing 6 F-35 jets, which it had handed over, using the pretext of Turkey's purchase of S400 from Russia. In fact, as a result of the final decision made by the United States Congress, the sales contract of the F-35s, which was shelved, was torn up.

As a result, Turkey accelerated the development process of 2 new jet aircraft known as Hürjet and TFX (Turkish Fighter) or MMU (National Combat Aircraft). Hürjet is approaching the last step as a work carried out with TAI's own resources. If the prototype, which is currently under construction, passes the tests successfully, mass production will begin quickly.

However, the pre-prototype development process continues for the combat aircraft, which will be called the MMU and will be a competitor or alternative to the F-35. However, it is said that the first prototype of this aircraft will be ready by the end of 2025, it will enter the initial tests with a different engine, but it will be replaced by the domestic jet engine over time.

At this point, the interest shown to the project by the UK is of great importance. Because it is very important for more than one buyer, supplier and institution to work on this business in order to put projects with such high cost per unit into mass production. Because even the United States was developing F-35s with NATO and partners such as the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands and Turkey.

After Russia declared war on Ukraine, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a meeting with NATO leaders. After that, the US embassies of many countries said that F-35s should be delivered to Turkey, which is the most powerful member of NATO in Europe, as soon as possible. But the United States did not pay much attention to this.

Thereupon, while Turkey was exhibiting its fifth generation fighter jet at the Singapore Air Show and looking for possible technology transfer partners, BAE Systems, the UK's largest Defense Industry company, which is currently the biggest supporter of the project, announced on its official Twitter account, "Know-how to the TF-X program. We are working with Turkish Aerospace Industries to provide how and engineering expertise.”

An agreement between Turkey and the UK for the joint work of the UAE and TAI parties on the TF-X (MMU) was already signed in 2017. However, as we understand from this sharing made by the UAE, there is also the transfer of engineers and technology. Therefore, we can understand that the project continues at full speed. Of course, although there are some rumors about the engine, in which the name of Rolls Royce is mentioned, it has not been clarified yet.