Turkey eyes F110 fighter jet engines as Trump comes to town

Turkey eyes F110 fighter jet engines as Trump comes to town centers on potential progress for Turkey’s fighter-engine plans as President Donald Trump visits Ankara for the July 7-8 NATO summit hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Analysts say the meeting could help secure tens of F110 engines, likely enabling around 40 for Turkey’s KAAN twin-engine stealth fighter program by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Sinan Ulgen of the Istanbul think tank EDAM told AFP that obstacles to supply may be removed, noting Turkey has produced flying KAAN prototypes using the F110. However, the dispute over Turkey’s exclusion from the F-35 remains unresolved. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan linked progress to resolving CAATSA sanctions tied to Turkey’s 2017 S-400 purchase, and said KAAN engines are awaiting US Congressional approval. Turkey received an initial batch of 10 F110s in September and sought 80 more.