Spain is reportedly considering acquiring Turkey’s incoming fifth-generation KAAN fighter jets after shelving plans to purchase US-made F-35s in August in favor of European-built platforms.
Madrid’s alleged interest in the KAAN is tied to growing defense ties with Ankara, including the prominent presence of Turkish defense companies at the Madrid defense fair in May and Spain’s acquisition of the Hürjet training aircraft in July, according to El Economista.
As it awaits the FCAS (Future Combat Air System), a program aimed at reducing reliance on US-made technology and scheduled for the 2040s, or another European-built jet, Spain is reportedly looking at the Turkish stealth aircraft to fill the gap.
The Spanish Ministry of Defense has not yet made an official announcement to confirm or deny the reports.
Meanwhile, Madrid’s rejection of the F-35s was reportedly influenced by tensions over the refusal to raise defense spending to 5 percent of its GDP, controversies over the aircraft’s “kill switch,” and rising costs — factors that have similarly complicated F-35 sales in Switzerland, Portugal, and Canada earlier this year.
Turkey’s homegrown 66-foot (20-meter) KAAN began development in 2016 to replace the Turkish Air Force’s F-16 fleet.
The program gained momentum in 2019 after the US removed Turkey from the F-35 program over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
In 2024, manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries claimed that the KAAN is “better than the F-35,” citing its 10-ton payload capacity compared with the F-35’s six tons, as well as its twin-engine design.
Anticipated to be in service by the 2030s, the KAAN completed its maiden flight in February 2024.
Apart from Turkey, Indonesia is expected to operate a fleet of 48 KAANs, and Saudi Arabia expressed interest in acquiring 100 units in January 2025.
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