Hong Kong's Asia Times said that Turkey's new-generation fighter Khan (previously known as TF-X) has successfully made its maiden flight, leading to geostrategic speculation that the fighter could soon be exported to a range of countries.
The fighter jet was in the air for 13 minutes at an altitude of 8,000 feet (about 2,440 meters) and flew alongside a support F-16 fighter jet, the report said.
The TF-X fighter project was launched in 2016 to replace Turkey's existing fleet of American-made F-16 fighters, which will be phased out in the 30s. Turkey withdrew from the US-led F-35 fighter program after the controversy over the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system in 2019, so the design concept of the "Khan" fighter has also changed.
According to the report, the "Khan" fighter will become the flagship of the Turkish military aerospace industry. At the same time, Turkey is working on a project to create a domestic jet engine and is considering the design of artificial intelligence capabilities for a sixth-generation fighter.
In a March 2023 report, Popular Mechanics magazine pointed out that the Khan fighter is on the same level as the KF-21 Falcon made in South Korea. Despite the fact that Turkey plans to adopt a complete ** configuration and domestic engines in the production of the third batch of fighters, this 4.The 5th generation jet fighter is still not at the level of the fifth-generation fighter.
According to the Popular Mechanics report, the Khan is expected to meet the performance benchmark of modern fighters, with a top speed of between 18 to 2Between Mach 2, it has a maximum flight altitude of 55,000 feet (about 16,764 meters), a cruising range of 700 miles (about 1,127 kilometers), and the ability to fly at supersonic speeds without the need for afterburner. However, the report suggests that these features are more hypothetical.
According to the report, the "Khan" fighter adopts Turkey's domestic bird-proof cockpit cover, 7050 aluminum alloy nose and cockpit, titanium alloy ** fuselage, and its engine and surface air intake are coated with lightweight carbon fiber composite thermoplastic to reduce radar reflectivity.
Turkey claims that the Khan has 85 percent domestic components, but it also uses imported components, such as two General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan engines and Martin Baker ejection seats.
Popular Mechanics said that the "Khan" fighter is expected to use the active electronic scanning array radar (AESA) manufactured by the Turkish company Axelsan, which can simultaneously scan and jam to improve anti-jamming capabilities, and the number of transmitting and receiving elements will be twice as many as the AN APG-77 radar used on the American F-22 fighter.
Turkey also said that the nose of the Khan fighter jet is equipped with infrared search and tracking sensors, which are electron-optical systems with 360-degree coverage. Local Turkish companies have manufactured a wide range of laser, missile and radar warning receivers.
The internal compartment of the Khan fighter can store 4 pieces, and the compartment on the side of the fuselage can store another 4 pieces** and a cannon. In addition, it has 4 underwing hardpoints for mounting drop tanks and **.
The report pointed out that although the Khan fighter is reasonably designed, Turkey's economic difficulties may prevent it from passing the prototype technology verification stage, or may lead to the actual production of limited quantities.
An article in the American magazine The National Interest in February said that the Khan's dependence on key imported components and Turkey's poor economic prospects could jeopardize the future of the fighter. The article says that the weakness of the Turkish lira could lead to significant cost overruns on high-end projects like the Khan fighter.
While Turkey can still spread costs over years of production, the operation could lead to outdated performance by the time the fighters are delivered, as Turkey plans to have a fleet of 300 warplanes by 2040, the report said. Nevertheless, Turkey wants to bring the Khan fighter to the international market. In addition to long-term strategic partner Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Pakistan are also listed as potential customers. (Compiled by Wu Mei).
*: Reference message).
For more exciting information, please contact the application market**"Jimu News" client, do not be authorized**, welcome to provide news clues, and pay once adopted.