February 12, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Turkish Aerospace in ‘final stages’ of talks over Saudis in KAAN fighter program: Exec
Riyadh has been tightlipped about how it plans to expand or upgrade its fighter fleet, with several international options on the table.
WORLD DEFENSE SHOW 2026 — A senior executive at Turkish Aerospace says a decision could be close regarding Saudi Arabia’s potential participation in Turkey’s next-generation KAAN fighter program. “It is in the final stages of decision-making process,” Mehmet Demiroglu, the firm’s general manager, told Breaking Defense on Monday. “We are hoping to reach a milestone this year, [the] start of a program at any level.” He said that could amount to a sale of some 20 of the planes, which is a “small squadron.” Or it could mean sharing parts of production.
“The models and the feasibility studies require certain numbers. If you want to build something here [in Saudi Arabia], like a final assembly line, that feasibility study suggests that it should be at least 50 [planes],” he said. “To further develop future systems like sixth-generation and beyond, or build something here locally that will also add up, but for a sixth-generation fighter, and [looking at] about a Saudi size, it will be a sizeable number.” Speaking on the sidelines of the World Defense Show outside Riyadh, Demiroglu said that TA, formerly known as Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), discussed “pretty much everything, with the timeline, with the benefit, with the cost, all the feasibility studies is there,” and the firm is waiting for a decision to be made by the “Saudi friends” on what model of purchase and cooperation the KAAN program will take.