Turkish media reports that Saudi Arabia plans to procure 100 KAAN fighters. (Has someone been drinking too much Raki?)
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia have much to discuss in the field of defence co-operation, not least with Saudi Arabia’s 2023 US $3.1 billion agreement with Türkiye to purchase 60 Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), set for delivery in 2025 and 2026.
During an earlier visit to Türkiye in October 2024, Saudi Air Force Commander Turki bin Bandar Al Saud, met with representatives from TAI, Aselsan, and Roketsan, and received in-depth briefings on the Kaan’s capabilities. Such briefings are routine for any VIP visit, and the UK’s Defence Secretary, John Healey, almost certainly received similar briefings during his visit, which does not, for the avoidance of doubt, indicate any UK intent to procure the aircraft!
While the talks were ongoing in Istanbul, Saudi Arabia’s Chief of Staff General Feyyaz bin Hamid er-Ruveyli arrived in Ankara, the Turkish capital, on 26 December, where he was received by Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff General Metin Gürak. They held discussions about a number of “substantial defence projects,” supposedly including fighter jets, warships, radar and missiles.
Although Saudi Arabia and Türkiye will have explored opportunities for strategic collaboration, there would not seem to be any Saudi requirement (nor appetite) for 100 examples of the developmental, as yet unproven, TAI Kaan ‘5th Generation’ fighter. This did not stop a host of regional media outlets (including Hürriyet Daily News, Defense Arabia, SavunmaSanayiST, turkiyetoday.com, Army Recognition and Defense Mirror) from solemnly reporting that Saudi Arabia was ‘mulling’, considering or showing interest in just such an acquisition, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, through to hysteria! One source even reported that Saudi Arabia “had begun negotiations with Türkiye to acquire 100 Kaan fifth-generation fighter jets.”
It is perhaps worth pointing out that no-one orders a fighter at such an early stage of its development (a single prototype that is unrepresentative of the production design has flown a handful of times), and especially not when that fighter is the first indigenous combat air platform produced by a particular nation.
Making declarations of interest in an aircraft is, however, an easy way of ‘buying’ influence and ‘friendship’ and can be used to signal to other suppliers that one’s own country has other options. If such interest in Kaan was politely expressed, it will have strengthened Saudi’s hands in other negotiations. Saudi has plenty of ‘form’ when it comes to this – many believe that Saudi overtures to the French for Rafale, for example, are no more than an effort to gain a stalking horse to keep BAE’s Typhoon price competitive!
Saudi Arabia has two 54 aircraft requirements (one for an F-15C/D replacement, one for a Tornado replacement) one (or both) of which will be filled by a Typhoon order. Kaan fits neither requirement or timescale. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is lobbying hard to be allowed to buy the F-35, and, in more or less the same timeframe that Kaan would be available, Saudi Arabia also hopes to be procuring the UK/Italian/Japanese GCAP Tempest.
