The TAI TF-X will be officially presented to the public in March, Turkish officials said on Sunday (08). Also called MMU (Milli Muharip Uçak – National Combat Aircraft), the stealth jet is the first fighter aircraft produced in the country, which is increasingly seeking independence in the production of domestic weapons. 

Just yesterday, the Turkish Defense Agency published a photo of the aircraft on the assembly line, with the radome and engines already installed. The jet received a pair of General Electric F110 turbofan engines, the same as the F-16 fighter (widely used by Turkey). 

Milli Muharip Uçak… pic.twitter.com/lnBl8cH5HK

— Turkish Defense Agency (@tdefenceagency) January 8, 2023

The roll-out of the TF-X/MMU is scheduled for March 18, 2023. In addition, Turkey's 5th generation fighter will also fly earlier than expected. The first flight of the aircraft was scheduled only for 2025, but it was brought forward to the end of this year.

“Its first flight was scheduled for 2025. It will fly at the end of 2023. Okay, it will fly. We install all your systems. There are no leaks”, said Dr. Temel Kotil, General Manager of TAI/TUSAS. "I didn't know last year (in terms of MMU) would be so successful", Kotil concludes 

The TF-X program was launched in 2010, shortly after the Turkish government decided to design and build a domestic 5th generation fighter to replace the local fleet of F-16 fighters, the 2nd largest in the world, surpassed only by the United States. . 

#Turkey:

The First Flight of the TF-X Stealth Fighter Jet This Year!

“The first flight was scheduled for 2025. It will fly at the end of 2023 and it will fly. We installed all of its systems. There are currently no leaks.”

— prof. doctor Temel Kotil (CEO @TUSAS_TR) pic.twitter.com/yjesAiopFd

— Tugay Er (@er_tugay_) January 9, 2023

The program was greatly accelerated in 2019 when Turkey was removed from the fighter program. North American F-35, for acquiring Russian anti-aircraft missiles of the S-400 system. 

Like its North American counterpart, the F-22 Raptor, the TF-X will also be twin-engined. The F110 turbofans, however, will only be used in prototypes or initial production models, as Turkey is developing a more powerful and advanced engine for the fighter. 

The MMU will be 21 meters long, 14 meters wide and 6 meters high, with the capacity to reach over 2400 km/h (Mach 2.2) at high altitude. The aircraft will also have supercruise, that is, it will be able to fly at lower supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners, increasing its autonomy. 

Production of the TF-X is expected to start around 2028.