Egypt Joins Turkiye's KAAN Fighter Jet Program

Egypt's participation in the Turkish-made KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet program, along with Indonesia, is set to reshape the non-Western global air power axis.

In a strategic move expected to change the balance of the regional defense industry, Egypt has officially joined the KAAN fifth-generation stealth fighter jet program developed by Turkiye.

Egypt's participation not only reflects the country's desire to be in the exclusive group of countries that possess stealth fighter aircraft, but also signifies the strengthening of the internationalization of Turkey's locally-made air defense program.

According to a report by Türkiye Today , the agreement between Cairo and Ankara includes technology transfer, the establishment of a joint production line, and a plan to purchase KAAN aircraft for use by the Egyptian Air Force.

If Egypt obtains the rights for local assembly and manufacturing, the country will make history as the first African country to have the capability to jointly develop a fifth-generation fighter jet.

The move will make Egypt an influential regional aerospace hub among the Arab League and African Union countries.

With this development, Egypt will gain a strategic advantage not only in the military field but also in terms of regional geopolitical influence.

For Turkiye, Egypt's participation provides important advantages in terms of sharing development costs, larger production scale and increasing KAAN's competitiveness in the global export market.

This cooperation is also evidence of the normalization of relations between Ankara and Cairo after a decade of political tension following the transition of power in Egypt in 2013.

The strategic alignment of the two countries in this high-profile aerospace program reflects a shared desire to achieve defense independence and technological parity with Western superpowers.

Egypt's participation also comes a week after Turkey signed the largest defense export deal in its history with Indonesia to supply 48 KAAN stealth fighter jets, worth around USD10 billion (RM43 billion).

The agreement with Indonesian state-owned companies, PT Dirgantara Indonesia and PT Republik Aero Dirgantara, involves more than just the delivery of aircraft, but also includes production, engineering and technology transfer collaboration.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) stated in an official post on the X platform (formerly Twitter):

"We have signed a significant agreement with Indonesia for the KAAN project. The agreement with PT Republik Aero Dirgantara and PT Dirgantara Indonesia covers the supply of 48 KAAN fighter aircraft as well as cooperation in the fields of engineering and technology transfer."