TF-X Stealth Fighter: Turkeys Answer To the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter of America

The TF-X Stealth Fighter of Turkey is its homegrown fifth-generation fighter developed by local aerospace firms independent of the US.

Ankara may have desired that President Joe Biden would reverse the course of Turkey's sanctions and enable the NATO state to rejoin the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.But the sanctions should be reviewed, noted Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Purchase of Russian S-400 Causes Sanctions

Following Ankara's purchase of the Russian-built S-400 Triumf, Blinken said the State Department would have to ascertain if anything else needed to get done, reported View60s.

Turkey will not get the F-35 anytime, so it will develop its homegrown TAI TF-X fighter instead.

By August, the factory to manufacture the fifth generation is completed and could soon be used to produce the aircraft. Turkey has said it could be ready to take its first flight by late summer 2023, citing The National Interest.

The new facility is divided into nine blocks totaling roughly 63,000 square meters, with a working area for the engineering group occupying 25,000 square meters, or more than one-third of the total space. This facility employs cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing with titanium alloys.

The Turkish 5th Generation fighter

The stealth fighter was designed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in collaboration with BEA Systems to supersede the F-16 Fighting Falcons operational with the Turkish Air Force. Ankara also has declared that the yet-to-be-built aircraft will be readily accessible for export, noted Times Aerospace.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned that working to develop the TF-X Stealth Fighter is the best response to those trying to intimidate Turkey's participation in the F-35 program.

At the 2019 Paris Air Show, a pre-production prototype of the Turkish aircraft, which resembled the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, was showcased.

TAI asserted at the time that it could attain Mach 2, have a 600-mile effective combat radius, and hardware requirements similar to the F-35 - except without the F-35's advanced avionics.

Joining the Paris Air Show 2019

As a result, the aircraft may appear impressive but fail to perform, and it could be costly to build, even though Turkey has attempted to build up its armament industry and become a player on the world stage.

Numerous times, designing a stealth fighter is so expensive that only a small number of nations are up to the task of doing so without having to spend themselves in a crisis. Ankara is seeking assistance in developing its stealth fighter, not just from BAE Systems.

State-owned TAI approached Malaysia in January 2020 to work on developing the advanced aircraft, while Ankara had eyed several nations as potential partners or buyers of the fighter.

Turkey is expected to ask Russia for additional help in building it, though Moscow has had challenges working to develop its Su-57 and may not want to be bogged down.

Meanwhile, Ankara has announced that it will upgrade its elderly F-16s, which could be another obvious sign that the TF-X is a pipe dream. If the TF-X Stealth Fighter becomes a reality, it won't be easy with the technology and particulars to develop an advanced fighter like the F-35.