Turkey presented the first prototype of its fifth generation fighter TF-X

Turkey is confidently moving towards the creation of its own fifth-generation fighter.

China, the USA, Great Britain and the trio of France, Germany, Spain are working on the sixth generation aircraft.

What is known

At Turkish Aerospace Industrythe presentation of the first prototype of the Turkish fighter called TF-X took place. The manufacturer has already been able to assemble several key parts of the aircraft - the center section, wings, as well as the nose and tail of the fuselage.

The prototype will be ready on March 18, 2023, afterwhich the state-owned aerospace company Turkish Aerospace Industry will be able to move on to ground testing of the fighter. The TF-X is expected to be able to take to the skies in 2026 (previously scheduled for 2025) and enter service two years after that.

Technical characteristics aircraft Turkey holdsin secret. It is known that at the initial stage, the TF-X should be equipped with F110 engines from the American company General Electric. In the future, it is planned to integrate Turkish-made engines. The supplier will be selected through a tender involving Tusas Engine Industries, TRMotor and TAEC (a joint venture between Kale Group and Rolls Royce).

The length of the TF-X will be 18.2 meters, and the wingspan will bealmost 11.9 meters. This means that the Turkish fighter will not be much larger than the American F-35 Lightning II, but will be inferior in size to the F-22 Raptor.

On the way to creating TF-X, the company will have toface some problems. The key is the delay in deliveries of General Electric engines (F-110-GE-129 or F110-GE-132). Yes, the production of power plants has been established in Turkey, but they are used in the F-16C / D Fighting Falcon and have simplified technical parameters.

It is not a fact that the United States will want to supply the necessaryengines, and a deal with Russia in view of the attack on Ukraine looks very unlikely. Other issues are the high cost and supply of modern digital electronics, which may be in question as other countries also develop to exterminate the sixth generation.