Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager Temel Kotil gave good news on Monday about the national combat aircraft, Turkish Fighter-X, or TF-X, which is seen as the most advanced Türkiye has produced.
Kotil stated that the work of our first fighter aircraft was completed faster than expected, in 2023.
A video released in November revealed the prototype of the TAI TF-X national fighter jet on the assembly line.
Turkish officials had expected the TAI TF-X national fighter jet to be ready for its maiden flight in 2023, in time for the centennial celebrations.
In November 2017, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli expressed optimism about the timeline, saying that it was their primary goal to have it ready for takeoff in 2023.
In February 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his desire for the TAI TF-X national fighter jet to be ready for its maiden flight in 2023, in time for the centennial celebrations.
He stated, "I hope our warplane, which will use domestic resources at every stage of design and production, will fly out of the hangar in 2023."
In June 2019, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) also displayed a mockup of the TF-X at the Paris Air Show.
TAI President and CEO Temel Kotil had stated before also that he believed the TF-X would be the best fighter aircraft in Europe and anticipated the prototype to make its maiden flight in 2025.
But with him stating today that it is expected earlier, the jet is expected to take flight in 2023.
