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| A digital rendering of the Turkish Experimental Fighter (TF-X) by Turkish Aerospace Industries. (TAI) |
International Military - Turkey and Pakistan are ready to collaborate to design and produce a new fifth-generation stealth fighter. This project is called TF-X. The first time, the TF-X was announced in 2016. Meanwhile, its first flight is scheduled for 2025.
Reporting from 19fortyfive.com, the TF-X is intended to replace Turkey's aging F-16 fleet. In addition, he project dubbed "the Islamic world's first major fighter aircraft," the new fifth-generation aircraft will enhance Turkey-Pakistan defense ties and reduce Ankara's dependence on US airframes.
Similar to Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II, the Turkish TF-X is a multi-role aircraft built for air-to-air missions. This fighter can also be deployed for air-to-ground missions. The jet reportedly has state-of-the-art radar, ground attack capabilities, networked drone control, and an advanced internal weapons bay.
Turkey's new jet will have a wingspan of 12 meters and a maximum take-off weight of around 27,000 kilograms. Equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, the TF-X will also feature voice recognition and multiple displays, as well as a high-quality audio system and graphical interface.
Since launching the Asia Anew initiative in 2019, Turkey has emerged as an important defense producer in the region. Erdogan has improved relations with Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Malaysia through arms sales and other military collaborative efforts.
This shift, supported by joint Pakistan-Turkish fifth-generation fighters, could free Turkey from the need for US-made military equipment in the future. Not only that, Turkey has also strengthened its relations with Asia.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, Turkey launched the 'Asia Anew' initiative in 2019 in a bid to strengthen its relations with countries in the region. In November last year, TAI established its first engineering and design office in Southeast Asia, in Malaysia. The airline has emerged as one of the two most important bidders for LCA Malaysia's contract with its Hurjet, along with LCA Tejas India, which is also participating in the Singapore Air Show, 2022.
Furthermore, engineers from Turkey and Malaysia will collaborate on various projects. These include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), jet trainer aircraft, helicopter projects, and the global aviation ecosystem modernization program. In addition, Turkey has largely succeeded in strengthening relations with countries in the South Asian region, especially with Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Bangladesh is Turkey's fourth largest arms buyer. It bought $60 million worth of weapons from Turkey in the first four months of 2021. Ankara's defense and aerospace exports in 2021 even reached $3 billion. One of Turkey's closest and most trusted partners in Asia is Pakistan.
It is currently in the process of developing the Ada class corvette for Pakistan and upgrading the Agosta 90B class submarine. Pakistan will also acquire the deadly torpedo countermeasures system from Turkey.