Paris Air Show 2019: Turkey to display first national fighter jet mock-up.

The mock-up version of Turkey's first national fighter jet will be showcased for the first time at Paris Air Show 2019, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager Temel Kotil announced during the 14th International Defense Fair (IDEF 2019).

A scale model of the TAI TF-X project showcased during DSA 2018 exhibition (Picture source: Air Recognition)

"This is our biggest project. When we finish this, Turkey can say technologically it is no different from the U.S., Russia, and China," he stressed.

TAI continues its preliminary design works for the production of modern aircraft designed with domestic capabilities and that can replace the F-16 aircraft, which are in the inventory of the Turkish Air Forces Command and are considered to be gradually deactivated as of the 2030s.

The TF-X (Turkish Fighter – Experimental) is a proposed twin-engine all-weather air superiority fighter being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) with technological assistance from BAE Systems The aircraft is planned to replace F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Turkish Air Force and to be exported to foreign air forces.The TF-X fighter jet will be a single seat multi-role aircraft mainly designed for air-to-air role with a consideration for air-to-surface capability as well. It will feature stealth and super cruise capabilities, as well as new generation avionics, such as AESA radar.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that the first TF-X aircraft is going to fly by 2023.