Ukraine Plans to Purchase Turkish Fifth-Generation KAAN Fighter Jets
“Ukrainian teams are working on and competing for the KAAN project,” says the Ambassador of Ukraine to Türkiye, Vasyl Bodnar, in an interview with CNN Türk. He notes that cooperation with Ankara is strategically important and contributes to the growth of defense potential for both Ukraine and Türkiye.
Bodnar reminds that the idea of Ukraine participating in the program for the Turkish advanced fighter is not new, and negotiations began even before the start of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine.
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“We can efficiently manufacture equipment with the required specifications for this aircraft. Creating such a project will also yield substantial benefits for the Turkish side,” the Ambassador of Ukraine says.
Bodnar emphasizes that KAAN possesses the complete capability to rival the F-35 and F-22, and this is the future story.
“As previously mentioned, if we succeed in preventing the influence of third parties both in the East and in the West, we will be one of the strongest in the region,” he elaborates.
In response to the journalist’s question about the possible acquisition of KAAN in the future, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey affirms that Ukraine intends not only to acquire it but also to deploy the aircraft.
“We are well aware of where and how to employ it,” he concludes.
KAAN (TF-X) is a Turkish fifth-generation fighter jet project developed by the state-owned aerospace company Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii (TUSAŞ) to replace the F-16. Its development officially began in August 2016.
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