Turkey under the Islamist rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan is back as a world power. What’s more, if the decades of rhetoric from Erdogan’s Islamist political party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), is at all an indication of intent, then the rebirth of the Ottoman Empire, with Erdogan as its new sultan, is at hand in the Middle East. 

The Geopolitical Context 

Using Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is a hodgepodge of former jihadists (from terror groups like Al Nusra Front and even ISIS, for example) who had been fighting in Syria and have now been rebranded as “moderate Syrian rebels,” Turkey was able to force the ouster of Syria’s Alawite dictator, Bashar al-Assad. 

This move by Turkey, in turn, has placed both the Russian Federation and its ally, the Islamic Republic of Iran, on their hind legs. These moves by Turkey risk fundamentally undermining Israeli security in the long run (because Turkey has vowed to destroy the predominantly Jewish state of Israel). 

All this has been in service to the idea of an Ottoman imperial restoration.

Selling the TF-Kaan to Saudi Arabia

As if that wasn’t enough, Turkey is now making major plays to ensnare the Sunni Arab states, notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), into its growing orbit. One of the key ways that Ankara is looking to spread influence over the Sunni Arab states (those likeliest to be opposed to any kind of restoration of an ethnic Turkish Sunni empire in the Middle East) is to sell advanced weapons and platforms to the Sunni Arabs. 

Specifically, Riyadh intends to purchase around 100 of the Turkish-built fighter (TF) Kaan. 

The TF-Kaan is not just another warplane. It is a serious upgrade for the Turkish Air Force (as well as any air force purchasing the export model). TF-Kaan was designed to replace Turkey’s aging F-16 Fighting Falcon fourth-generation warplanes with indigenously built, fifth-generation planes.

Indeed, the real reason behind Turkey even building its TF-Kaan warplanes was that the United States officially kicked Turkey out of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program. Needing to ensure they did not lose capabilities as their F-16s aged out, Turkey opted to place its faith in its own capabilities. Thus far, its gambit has worked out. The Kaan is built by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). The warplane is on par with the F-35 that Turkey was denied from purchasing. 

The Specs

The Kaan is 69 feet long and has a wingspan of 46 feet.

Since the TF-Kaan is a fifth-gen bird, it has stealth features, making it harder to detect by enemy radar, just like the American fifth-generation planes possess. There are blended and faceted surfaces as well as specialized skin coatings to ensure the plane is undetected. 

This warplane comes with an Active, Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar system and, most interestingly, the Turkish Air Force plans to have these planes riding along with advanced drones for additional layers of protection and to serve as a force multiplier while in combat. A secure datalink will ensure seamless, uninterrupted connectivity between the cockpit and the drones.

What makes this such an interesting component for the TF-Kaan is that the Americans are seemingly refusing to place similar systems on their F-22A Raptors or their F-35s. Instead, the Pentagon is demanding that Congress pay gobs of tax dollars to build entirely new sixth-generation warplanes that will support the “Loyal Wingman” drone program. 

The more resourceful Turks are happy to ensure their fifth-generation planes come equipped with a “Loyal Wingman”-type drone system.

Given its multirole mission, Turkey designed these planes to carry a multiplicity of armaments, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, guided bombs, and even miniature explosives, according to The Defense Post. These various armaments all fit nicely inside internal weapons bays, increasing the plane’s stealth features.

Twin General Electric turbofan engines power these birds, allowing for a top cruising speed of Mach 1.8 (1,381 miles per hour) and it can fly up to an altitude of 55,775 feet. The plane itself looks almost like the American F-35. 

The Dangers of a Closer Saudi Arabia-Turkey Military Alliance 

Like Turkey, the Saudis had wanted to be part of America’s F-35 program. Yet, the Pentagon was taking its sweet time in approving Riyadh’s request to join the program, prompting the KSA government to look to Turkey. 

An agreement between the U.S. government and that of Israel stipulates that the Americans must sell systems that are “superior in capability” to the Israelis compared to the systems that America sells to Israel’s neighbors. Currently, Israel possesses a potent F-35 variant, the F-35I Adir. There is concern that the Americans giving Saudi Arabia access to the F-35 program would deprive Israel of the qualitative edge their armed forces have worked so hard to achieve.

So, Riyadh is looking to Ankara. And Turkey is only more than pleased to oblige. This move will create deeper linkages between the two Sunni Muslim powers of Turkey and Saudi Arabia and may lead to a far darker geopolitical outcome for Israel, as the tiny Jewish democracy struggles to restore the security it had lost on October 7. 

The TF-Kaan, therefore, is more than another warplane. This system is a symbol of Turkey’s growing international pull and its very real status as a rising power in the Middle East.

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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