Turkey’s centenary in 2023 is the date set for the country’s first indigenous jet fighter, TF-X, to fly. Alan Warnes reports from Istanbul, where the deal to build the fifth-generation twin-engined jet was signed between Ankara and the UK.
Saab’s contributions
Although Saab prefers to say little about its role in TF-X, three distinct conceptual designs had emerged by the end of its two-year consultancy role. The first was a single-engine airframe with blended wing to fuselage lines. The second concept featured a larger fuselage to house two turbofan engines within the blended wing/fuselage design. The third, and most ambitious, was a canard-delta design with a single-engined fuselage, for agile handling. Committing to a twin-engined fighter will be more expensive, increasing procurement and maintenance costs over the life of the aircraft. On the other hand, it means the jet will be of higher performance and equipped with an additional internal weapons carriage.
AN AGREEMENT TO kickstart the highly ambitious multibillion-dollar TF-X project was signed by representatives of the Turkish and British governments at this year’s International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul.
The event took place at a…
