"The F110 engine, we have 10 of them already for our prototypes. For the serial production of KAAN, we are buying 80 engines. The export license was approved or went through the Congress on July 9," Mehmet Demiroglu told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow.
Mehmet Demiroglu on the export license and KAAN schedule
Demiroglu, the head of Turkish Aerospace (TA), said the export license for General Electric's F110 engines "was approved or went through the Congress on July 9." He framed the clearance as removing a prior geopolitical roadblock to the KAAN program, adding that "the rest is standard procedures." TA has 10 F110s for prototypes and plans to buy 80 engines for serial production. Demiroglu said serial production is "at least two and a half years away," and expressed confidence the engines will arrive in time to support production for the Turkish Air Force.
GE Aerospace and engine delivery timing
GE told Breaking Defense, "GE Aerospace is proud of our longstanding partnership with Türkiye and the Turkish Air Force. For decades GE Aerospace has powered the Turkish Air Force’s F-16 fleet, and as they advance their HÜRJET [trainer jet] and KAAN programs, we are honored to support their progress." A TA company official told Breaking Defense that the first batch from the ordered 80 engines is expected to be delivered by 2027.
The export clearance follows earlier deliveries: "Turkey was able to acquire 10 of the engines in September, before the nation’s foreign minister said further exports had been halted," the report said, underscoring that the relationship between buyer and supplier has continued despite intermittent political objections.
KAAN program milestones and propulsion roadmap
KAAN is described in TA statements as a Turkish indigenous fifth‑generation fighter under testing. Early prototypes currently operate with the U.S.-built F110 engines — the same engines that power F-16 and F-15 EX jets. TA plans for the GE engine to power KAAN until a nationally produced engine, the TF35000 made by TEI, "comes online," which the company projects will be in 2032.
Operational milestones already logged include KAAN's maiden flight in February 2024: a 13‑minute sortie that reached 8,000 feet and achieved a speed of 230 knots. Demiroglu said he "expects two KAANs to fly side-by-side by the end of next year." TA and the Turkish Air Force remain on a delivery timetable that Demiroglu and the company say is "still on schedule by 2028."
Congressional review, political objections, and prior sanctions
The export review period that concluded on July 9 is one during which American lawmakers could have moved to halt the sale. Turkish reporting noted July 9 as the deadline; Reuters reported in late June that the Trump administration planned to greenlight the engine sale despite public criticism from Representative Gregory Meeks, "the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee." Meeks said, "These items will not be delivered for years, and the administration repeatedly ignored persistent requests for information and clarification on key aspects of U.S. policy," in a statement to the news outlet.
Congressional opposition has linked to broader bilateral tensions: Turkey's acquisition of Russian S-400 radars in 2019 is cited in the report as the move "that got Ankara kicked out of the US-led, international F-35 program." The article adds that the F-35 exclusion is "another sticking point in US-Turkey relations that President Donald Trump seems eager to remove."
What this means for the Turkish Air Force, GE Aerospace, and U.S. lawmakers
- Turkish Air Force: With TA expecting deliveries "still on schedule by 2028" and an initial batch of engines due "by 2027," the service will monitor engine arrival dates closely to meet planned induction and training timelines for the twenty jets contracted in May.
- GE Aerospace: The company will manage logistics and production to supply 80 engines for serial production over the next several years and coordinate with TA on timing tied to the serial line, which is "at least two and a half years away."
- U.S. lawmakers: Those who opposed the export will watch delivery schedules and policy communications, echoing earlier criticism such as Rep. Gregory Meeks's demand for information and clarification about U.S. policy.
The export clearance removes a visible bottleneck for KAAN's near-term propulsion needs, but it does not erase the longer timeline for a domestically produced powerplant: TA expects the TF35000 in 2032 while relying on GE's F110 through the serial-production window. The concrete milestones to track now are the first engine batch expected by 2027 and the program's planned Turkish Air Force deliveries by 2028.
