"Not an end but a beginning," said Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) head Haluk Görgün — a phrase that neatly frames why Madrid and Ankara have quietly opened a new chapter in European fighter procurement.
Mehmet Demiroğlu confirms Spain–Türkiye KAAN talks at SAHA 2026
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu confirmed at the SAHA 2026 defence exhibition in Istanbul that Spain and Türkiye have entered preliminary government-to-government discussions over a potential Spanish acquisition of the KAAN fifth‑generation stealth fighter. The disclosure, first reported by Infodefensa on 7 May, is the first public acknowledgement at cabinet level that Madrid is exploring a turbine other than the United States or the Franco‑German‑Spanish FCAS path for next‑generation combat aviation.
SAETA II Hürjet contract establishes an industrial bridge
On 28 April, Spain signed the SAETA II Hürjet‑based advanced jet trainer programme at Airbus facilities in Getafe, Madrid — a deal valued at approximately €2.6 billion for 30 aircraft. Under that agreement, Airbus is the prime contractor and TAI will manufacture the aircraft with 60% Spanish industry participation, naming Indra, GMV, Sener, AERTEC, Grupo Oesía, Orbital, and ITP among firms involved. Turkish officials framed SAETA II as a precursor: Görgün said it "could be marketed to other countries and third nations, paving the way for joint development of next‑generation products." The same Spanish companies could, in principle, form the nucleus of industrial participation if talks on KAAN proceed.
KAAN's development status, propulsion plans, and the Block‑10 order
The KAAN remains a developmental programme. Its maiden flight took place on 21 February 2024, and TAI has confirmed additional prototypes are planned during 2026 and 2027 to expand testing of avionics, stealth management, mission integration, and aerodynamics. Current prototypes use two General Electric F110‑GE‑129 engines — the same engine family used by Turkish F‑16s — but Türkiye intends to fit an indigenous TF35000 engine from the Block‑30 variant onwards, targeted for approximately 2032. Separately, the Güçhan turbofan — a 42,000 lbf‑class engine unveiled at SAHA 2026 by the Ministry of National Defence R&D Centre — represents a second propulsion track whose relationship to KAAN has not been officially clarified.
At SAHA 2026 the KAAN Block‑10 production contract was signed between the SSB and TAI, covering 20 fighters with deliveries scheduled between 2028 and 2030. That provides the programme's first firm procurement commitment and bolsters Ankara's case that the design is moving beyond prototype phase.
Four simultaneous pressures reshaping Madrid’s fighter calculus
- Ageing EF‑18 Hornet fleet: In a February 2026 parliamentary reply, Spain indicated the EF‑18 fleet could remain in service until 2040, well beyond the original 2030 retirement target — a practical admission of a widening timing gap.
- Retirement of AV‑8B Harrier force: Madrid's Harriers are approaching retirement, creating an immediate naval aviation shortfall that historically has been met by STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing)‑capable platforms.
- F‑35 procurement suspended: Spain suspended its F‑35 plans in August 2025, removing what would have been the obvious STOVL and fifth‑generation path for carrier and naval air capability.
- FCAS delays and mediation collapse: The Franco‑German‑Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme has experienced repeated delays. A mediation collapse between Paris and Berlin on 18 April 2026 returned the file to both countries’ defence ministries, extending uncertainty over whether and when an FCAS successor might appear.
Those pressures combine to create a temporal and capability gap between retiring legacy platforms and any FCAS successor — a gap that, according to the reporting, Spain may be considering filling with a non‑US fifth‑generation bridge.
How Madrid, Ankara, and Spanish naval aviation are likely to act
- Spain: Planners could treat KAAN as a "bridge capability" — one that fills operational gaps while delivering software sovereignty and industrial participation that Madrid seeks, rather than as a permanent F‑35 or FCAS replacement. Any decision will hinge on timelines, testing progress, and whether KAAN can meet Spain’s naval requirement for STOVL — a capability KAAN and non‑F‑35B platforms currently do not offer.
- Türkiye (Ankara): Each European customer joining the KAAN ecosystem would spread R&D overhead, validate the programme internationally, and create an export constituency. Ankara already points to Indonesia’s 48‑unit order and active cultivation of Gulf customers as evidence of a broader export strategy.
- Spanish naval aviation: The absence of STOVL in KAAN leaves a discrete problem for carrier and amphibious aviation requirements, keeping a naval solution unresolved unless paired with a separate STOVL acquisition or a platform modification not yet on offer.
The talks are preliminary and many caveats remain: KAAN is in development; its indigenous engines are years away; and Spain’s naval needs currently demand STOVL capability that KAAN does not provide. Still, the government‑level engagement marks a noteworthy pivot — Spain is the first EU member state publicly reported to be discussing a non‑Western, non‑US fifth‑generation fighter at that level, and SAETA II has already laid an industrial and political bridge that could make KAAN negotiations feasible. The next measurable steps will be further KAAN prototype testing through 2027, progress on indigenous propulsion programmes toward 2032, and whether Madrid can reconcile naval aviation requirements with any interim fighter choices.
