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TF-X Turkish Fighter & Trainer Aircraft Projects

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Real geometry final mock-up. It has a different paintwork instead of digital camouflage. It looks like Turkish Stars aerobatic team paint.

The first fuselage of HURJET, which its production of all parts for the prototype was completed, was moved from the production line to the final assembly line on June 11, 2022. All parts of HÜRJET, which will make its maiden flight on March 18 2023, will be assembled on the final assembly line, and ground tests will begin shortly.

Technicial Specs:

  • Wingspan 9.5 m
  • Length 13.6m
  • Height 5.1m
  • Wing Area 35 m^2
  • Thrust 17,600 lb
  • Max Speed 1.4 Mach
  • Service Ceiling 45,000 ft
  • G Limit +8 G/-3 G
  • Range 2222 km
  • Weapon Capacity 2721 kg
 
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According to some defense sources, deal is done and TAI won tender; Malaysia will be partner and Hurjet's second user country.

If it is true, then Malaysia will wait quite long before they can have their new LCA.

I think it is good for both nation and good for Indonesia as well.
 

Turkey officially launches competition for TF-X fighter engine​

By Burak Ege Bekdil
Jul 11, 07:47 PM

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A crowd of people gather around a full-scale model of Turkish Aerospace Industries' TF-X at Paris Air Show on June 17, 2019. (Staff)

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish government has officially launched a competition for the local development of a turbofan engine that will power the country’s national fighter jet in the making, the TF-X.
Turkey’s defense procurement agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries, or SSB, issued in June a request for proposals, inviting potential bidders for the program. SSB said two Turkish engine makers, Tusas Engine Industries and TRMotor, have replied to the RFP.

The agency’s chief and the government’s top procurement official, Ismail Demir, told media that TAEC, a partnership between British engine-maker Rolls-Royce and Turkish industrial conglomerate Kale Group, would soon reply to the RFP, making it a three-way competition. Kale owns 51% of TAEC.
The planned TAEC engine is expected to fly the TF-X at an altitude of 40,000 feet and help it reach a speed of up to Mach 1.8.

Demir said the government’s sine qua nons — or essential requirements — are:
  • Production of the planned engine in Turkey.
  • Intellectual property rights owned by Turkey.
  • No export license restrictions.
  • Cost effectiveness.
Demir said TAEC’s offering met all criteria but one: intellectual property rights owned by Turkey. “In case we do not agree on a deal with Rolls-Royce, Turkey will move ahead with its indigenous capabilities [to develop the engine],” he stated.

One of the two local bidders, Tusas Engine Industries, is a government-controlled company. Based in Eskişehir, northwestern Turkey, TEI was founded in 1985 as a joint venture involving GE Aviation, Turkish Aerospace Industries, the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and the Turkish Aeronautical Association.

The other domestic bidder, TRMotor, was founded in 2017 by SSTEK, a subsidiary of the procurement agency SSB. Tusas, which is the parent company of TEI and Turkish Aerospace Industries, wholly owns TRMotor.
SSB plans to build TF-X prototypes using the American-made F110 engine. The General Electric F110 is an afterburning turbofan jet engine produced by GE Aviation, and it uses the same engine core design as the company’s F101. The engine is also built under license by TEI.

“It is likely that we may use the F110 in serial production [of the TF-X],” Demir said.

But a senior industry official and engine expert said powering the TF-X with the F110 may prove difficult. “Serial production may require vast amounts of investment and testing time. In addition, this option would come with the same export license and intellectual property rights problems as Turks dislike with the Rolls-Royce solution,” the official said on the condition of anonymity, as the individual was concerned about employer retaliation for speaking to the media.

A British proposal​

Demir also said BAE Systems has made a new proposal to Turkey about the TF-X program. “The new proposal is about the second phase of the [TF-X] program. We will respond after checking if that proposal for technical support fits our requirements,” Demir said.

The TF-X’s second phase is about finishing the preliminary conceptual design.

Top British manufacturers like BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce are no strangers to the TF-X program. In October 2016, Rolls-Royce offered a joint production partnership to Turkey with a view to powering planned Turkish platforms and potential sales to third parties. The company’s proposal involved a production unit in Turkey to manufacture engines for the TF-X, as well as for helicopters, tanks and missiles.

In January 2017, BAE Systems and TAI signed a deal worth more than £100 million (U.S. $120 million) to develop the Turkish fighter jet. “We work with Turkish Aerospace to bring know-how and engineering expertise to the TF-X programme,” BAE tweeted Feb. 15, 2022.

The TF-X is scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2026. It will enter service in 2029, according to Turkish officials.

 
Hi what’s the timeline for the prototype to be on the runway and a timeline for serial production too
if possible to answer
thank you
It's just a mockup and it's pretty incomplete and sloppy. There will be many different details in the cockpit of the prototype, which is currently being assembled.

About the project schedule:
The project officially started in 2011.
PDR and start of prototype production activities 2021
First roll-out 18 March 2023
Maiden flight target 2025
FOC target 2032-2035
Serial production target is after 2030
The scope of the MMU program is until 2065

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