In 2016, Ankara announced the launch of its Turkish Fighter (TF-X), a stealth, twin-engine, all-weather air superiority fighter plane, rechristened as the KAAN project, which is part of a wider initiative intended to reduce Turkey’s dependence on foreign imports for its defense industry. At the start of the 2000s, Turkey relied on imports for 80% of its defense requirements, a figure that has now been reduced to around 20%. With that, Ankara is increasing both its resilience and control over its armed forces, mitigating the risk of a foreign country, most likely the U.S., being able to exert pressure on its military decision-making.
The KAAN fighter jet project is therefore part of…