Pakistan and Turkey join hands for development of 5th generation stealth fighter jet
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ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan set to commission 25 J-10C fighter jets to boost the country’s military capabilities, Islamabad and Istanbul are concurrently working on the development of a fifth-generation fighter stealth jet TF-X.
The development comes as talks between US and Turkey remained ineffective on reviving the F-35 deal. Washington earlier removed Istanbul from its F-35 fighter program, maintaining that the Turkish S-400 missile system would be incompatible with NATO’s missile systems.
Amid the frosty tie with the Biden administration, Pakistan and Turkey are now collaborating on the production of fifth-generation fighter jets.
The development was confirmed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) CEO Temel Kotil who was recently interviewed by a Pakistani news channel. Other officials, including Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Vice Marshal Rizwan Riaz, was also part of the program link.
Turkish officials are now pacing up the efforts on its indigenous stealth fighter program, referred to as TF-X. The two Muslim countries will reportedly divide the development of the fifth-generation warplane.
Turkey will employ engineers from the top Pakistani institution National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), which is said to be the epitome of research.
Reports in media also suggest that Turkish Aerospace plans to fly the first prototype of these jets by 2025 and also aimed to export in later years.
Earlier, Turkish Aerospace Industries claimed that the two sides are collaborating on a joint satellite program. “We cooperated with Pakistan Space and Upper Research Commission (SUPARCO) to develop satellite projects,” TAI mentioned in a tweet saying it will cooperate with Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
In 2021, TAI inked pact with Pakistan’s National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) for the joint production of “ANKA Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.”
