The 2 new Kaan airframes are scheduled to start testing in 2026, whereas Turkey can be growing its personal engine to interchange U.S.-made powerplants utilized by the prototypes.
The second and third prototypes of Turkey’s Kaan fighter, named P1 and P2, have now been noticed in a latest official video overlaying the go to of Dr. Haluk Görgün, president of the Defence Business Company (Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı – SSB) to the services of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI/TUSAŞ).
We had beforehand reported in September 2025 that the second prototype, P1, had been captured in one other official video of Turkey’s army veterans group exhibiting TAI. In that report we had additionally quoted Turkish protection media claims that P2 was already beneath building at TAI, and that each airframes are slated to begin testing between April and June 2026.
On that event, the naked skeletal airframe of P1 was obscured behind the P0, which made it tough to identify and analyze any important design variations. In a cut up picture shared by ‘Avionot’, we may see that the P1’s nostril part seems to be wider, whereas the engine consumption additionally seems to be taller, overshooting the chine line on the fuselage, and a little bit nearer to the cover.
📍 Ankara | TUSAŞ Tesisleri
✈️🇹🇷
Millî Muharip Uçak KAAN Projemiz kapsamında, KAAN hangarımızı ziyaret ederek tam boy statik take a look at uçağımızda gelinen son aşamaya ilişkin kapsamlı bilgi aldık ve sahadaki çalışmaları yerinde inceledik.
2024 yılında ilk uçuşunu icra eden ve ilk… pic.twitter.com/mipIGkTtSs
— Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün (@halukgorgun) February 13, 2026
Whereas the brand new visuals now present progress on the manufacturing has been regular, key design adjustments present classes are quickly learnt from the expertise on the P0 airframe.
The Kaan is being developed as Turkey’s value efficient Gen. 5 various and considerably of a substitute to the F-35, after Turkey was faraway from this system in 2020 and has been lobbying to be readmitted in. The brand new footage extensively captures P1, and exhibits a sequence of appreciable design tweaks.
A significant spot is the Tulgar Helmet-Mounted Show (HMD) fifth era headgear, which has been seen in official renderings and exhibition shows for just a few years now. The Tulgar helmet could be seen by way of the cockpit cover on the seat, within the airframe that observers have recognized because the P1, which is parked on the port (left) aspect of the P0 contained in the hangar. The one on the starboard aspect is presumably P2, and each plane are nonetheless within the manufacturing unit beige primer.
ASELSAN TULGAR Kaska Monteli Gösterge Sistemi.🌐ASELSAN TULGAR Helmet Mounted Show. pic.twitter.com/SzoB3ccrIO
— ASELSAN (@aselsan) January 13, 2026
🪖 pic.twitter.com/DLpMsXfeyb
— FlyHigh (@KAYALP777) April 18, 2024
One distinction within the design between the P0 and P1 is that the engine consumption has been moved a lot behind within the fuselage, and is precisely beneath the boundary line of the cockpit hinges. This creates more room for self-defensive sensors like missile proximity, radar warning, directional infrared countermeasures or different arrays involved with giving all-round 360 diploma visibility, just like the F-35’s Distributed Aperture System (DAS).
🛩 Comparability of the KAAN P1 prototype with the P0
➡️There was some change within the fuselage again geometry. You may see the adjustments within the slope strains. (Picture-1)
➡️At P1, the air consumption has been moved again in the direction of the cockpit degree. Now we have seen this earlier than within the visuals… pic.twitter.com/qwII1TW7Yl
— TR_tech (@T_Nblty) February 14, 2026
The principle touchdown gears are additionally moved a little bit additional to the aspect, now rising solely partly from the underbelly. This additionally gives some area for each exterior and inner ventral weapons shops. Most significantly, a high view exhibits that the gap between the each engines within the P1 has additionally elevated.
KAAN’ın yerli ve milli motoru TF-35000’in geliştiricisi TR Motor’un genel müdürü Osman Saim Dinç:
“Motor projesini ülkemizin beka meselesi olarak görüyoruz.” pic.twitter.com/mlcUK36xGG
— Avionot (@avionot) February 17, 2026
Future
Turkish accounts quoted Görgün, who touched upon Turkish technical capabilities, and charted out the testing roadmap for the P1 and P2. “Our plane, which might be utilized in Full-Scale Static checks, might be in the identical body along with our second prototype, which can conduct its subsequent flight after the primary prototype that carried out its preliminary flights, upon exiting the hangar. This each signifies an essential technical milestone and stands earlier than us as a concrete indicator of the efforts of 1000’s of individuals,” he stated.
You have got my respect for this 🫡Decisive political backing from Erdogan, industrial management from Temel Kotil, engineering drive from Ugur Zengin and Fahrettin Ozturk, and the state–trade bridge supplied by Haluk Gorgun. pic.twitter.com/bl72LpY3yU
— Alpha Protection™🇮🇳 (@alpha_defense) February 15, 2026
Görgün added that the Kaan would have all Gen. 5 attributes like stealth know-how, digital warfare capabilities, inner weapons bays, superior avionics structure, enhanced situational consciousness and sensor fusion. Most significantly, he touched upon how TAI is finishing up “improvement, take a look at and manufacturing steps concurrently,” an strategy undertaken to shorten timelines. The U.S. Military too is adopting an analogous route for its MV-75 tilt-rotor plane.
“Following our high-speed prototype that made its first flight in 2024, the event and manufacturing processes have continued with out interruption. On the identical time, we’re additionally conducting operational functionality improvement research for manned-unmanned fight plane,” Görgün added. Turkey’s Anka 3 and Kizilelma UCAVs that should fly alongside the Kaan have additionally witnessed notable successes.
SSB Başkanı Haluk Görgün:
“KAAN’ımızın teknik kabiliyetlerine baktığınızda; ulaşacağı hızdan görünmezlik teknolojisine, elektronik harp yeteneğinden çoklu görev kabiliyetlerine kadar, dünyada sayısı bir elin parmakları kadar olan seçkin muharip uçak sınıfının bir üyesi olacağını… pic.twitter.com/wMOTnVP66Z
— SAVTEK Dergi (@savtekdergi) February 13, 2026
Lastly, Görgün referred to the TF35000 engine: “[…] the event of our indigenous engine, is including new ones to its capabilities and to our nation’s protection and aviation trade infrastructure […].”
SSB Başkanı Haluk Görgün:
“Statik take a look at prototipimizin üretiminin tamamlanmasıyla birlikte; tasarımdan üretime, üretimden doğrulamaya uzanan sürecin olgunlaşma yolunda nasıl ilerlediğini hep birlikte görmekteyiz.”
“Yerli motorumuzun geliştirilmesi başta olmak üzere kabiliyet… pic.twitter.com/3tfp5JtIim
— SAVTEK Dergi (@savtekdergi) February 13, 2026
Turkey is investing closely within the TF35000 turbofan engine developed by Turkish Engine Industries (TEI) to energy future manufacturing airframes of the Kaan and transfer away from the Basic Electrical F110-GE-129E powerplants. Ankara due to this fact someplace hopes that the indigenous program’s success adjustments its equations with Washington, with the decreased dependency leveraged to both safe the F-35 or different geopolitical concessions.
