KAAN Prototype-1 is Preparing for Flight

The pre-flight testing process continues on the P1 prototype of KAAN, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ). TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu, in his statement within the scope of TEKNOFEST Southeast, stated that all system tests of P1 have been completed and the ground tests phase will begin.

The previous slow taxi tests of the P1 have also been completed. The next stage is the fast taxi tests that will be carried out after the ground tests.

Demiroğlu said that if the expected performance is achieved during the fast taxi and there are no problems, P1 will take off again in a short time. While an exact date for the flight was not given, it was stated that there was a possibility of flight in October or November and the flight was targeted before the end of 2026.

Following P1 in the KAAN program, the P2 prototype will also go through the same testing process. Demiroğlu stated that P1 and P2 are currently side by side and that work for the two prototypes is continuing intensively.

In previous statements, it was stated that P1 and P2 would be used in an intensive flight test campaign, and that different systems and weapon configurations of the aircraft would be tested in the following stages. In its previous statement, TAI had stated that two prototypes would be used in envelope opening tests, and then configurations in which weapon and mission systems would be integrated would be transitioned to.

KAAN's first flight was made with the engineering prototype P0. P1 and P2 constitute the next phase of the program, as prototypes developed for the purpose of conducting more comprehensive flight and system tests.

According to TAI's statements, KAAN's flight test campaign is expected to enter a more intense period with the P1 flying again. With the participation of P2 in flight tests, a more comprehensive testing process will be carried out on different prototypes.

The current schedule for P1 generally goes as follows:

System tests → ground tests → fast taxi → flight

Each of these stages must be completed successfully. In particular, fast taxi tests will be one of the critical ground tests of the aircraft before flight.

TAI General Manager Demiroğlu also stated that the flight decision depends on the results to be achieved in the fast taxi and said that P1 will be flown this year if there are no delays or technical problems.

The new test schedule shows that the preparation of prototypes for the flight campaign in the KAAN program continues. It is expected that P1 will take flight after the fast taxi tests and with P2 being involved in the same process, KAAN's development and verification activities will be moved to a more intense phase.