Turkey’s Fifth-Generation Fighter Jet Kaan Makes Maiden Flight

Flight marks milestone in Turkey’s domestic fighter project
Turkey was expelled from US-led F-35 program in 2019

The Turkish fighter jet TAI Kaan conducts its maiden flight in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 21.Photographer: Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu/Getty Images

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By Asli Kandemir

February 21, 2024 at 10:14 AM UTC

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Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet in development conducted its first ever flight on Wednesday, a milestone for the country to deploy domestically produced war planes.

The jet, known as Kaan and developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries with help from the UK’s BAE Systems, took off from an airstrip in capital Ankara for a flight that lasted just over 10 minutes, according to state broadcaster TRT.