𝗧𝗢𝗟𝗚𝗔𝗢𝗭𝗕𝗘𝗞.𝗰𝗼𝗺 (𝟭𝟲 Ş𝘂𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲): "TF35000 motoru için İspanyol ITP ve TEI neler yapabilir?" + 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮 𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱 - 𝗗𝗬𝗦 (Spain) 𝟭𝟱 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: "Let's talk about the engine. Analysis of an agreement that could be very beneficial"
EMI P
TF35000 motoru için İspanyol ITP ve TEI neler yapabilir?
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Son yıllarda Türkiye ve İspanya arasında özellikle savunma ve havacılık alanındaki yeni iş birliklerine bu sefer motor konusunda önemli bir katkı daha sağlandı. İspanyol motor imalatçısı ve teknoloji geliştiricisi ITP ile TEI önemli bir iş birliği anlaşması yaptı.
İspanyol savunma ve havacılık dergisi Defensa y Seguridad’ın dikkat çeken analizine göre, Türkiye ile İspanya arasındaki savunma işbirliği yeni bir boyuta evriliyor. F-35 programından çekilmenin ardından İspanya’nın beşinci nesil savaş uçağı konusunda bir “B Planı” eksikliği yaşadığı belirtilirken, Türkiye’nin sunduğu gerçek ortak üretim modeli öne çıkıyor.
Yazıda vurgulandığı üzere, Amerikan F-35’in “kara kutu” yapısına (alıcının yazılım ve sistemlere müdahale edememesi) karşın, Türkiye’nin KAAN projesi gibi platformlarda sunduğu model, gerçek bir ortaklık ve teknoloji transferi imkanı sağlıyor. Analistler, Madrid ile Ankara arasındaki kurumsal iletişim kanallarının şu anda her zamankinden daha açık olduğunu ifade ediyor.
Bu işbirliğinin temeli, HÜRJET ileri eğitim uçağının İspanya tarafından tedarik edilmesiyle atıldı. HÜRJET alımı, iki ülkedeki mühendislerin teknik verileri paylaşmaya başlamasını sağlayan önemli bir “ön hazırlık adımı” olarak nitelendiriliyor. TCG ANADOLU ile başlayan ve ilerleyen projeler, daha da büyük işbirliklerinin kapısını aralıyor.
Asıl stratejik kazanç ise motor teknolojisinde yatıyor. Eğer KAAN’a ITP Aero – TEI ortak motoru entegre edilirse, İspanya şu anki konumundan (yabancı motorların bakımını yapan ülke) çıkıp, dünyanın en karmaşık havacılık teknolojilerini tasarlayan ve ihraç eden bir aktöre dönüşecek. Bu, İspanya için FCAS (Future Combat Air System) projesindeki belirsizliklere karşı güçlü bir alternatif sigorta poliçesi anlamına geliyor.
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İki şirketin ortaklığında neler yapılabilir
ITP Aero’nun uzmanlığı: Özellikle Düşük Basınçlı Türbinler (LPT) alanında dünya lideri olan ITP, Eurofighter Typhoon’un EJ200 motorunda aşırı sıcaklık ve yüksek basınçlara dayanıklı bileşenler tasarlama yeteneğini kanıtlamış durumda.
Bu “türbin beyni” uzmanlığı, KAAN’ın yerli motoru TF35000 projesinde (35.000 lbf itki gücü hedefiyle geliştirilen) kritik öneme sahip olabilir. Termodinamik ince ayar, yüksek sıcaklık dayanımı ve ileri soğutma teknolojileri gibi alanlarda ITP’nin katkısı, projeyi hızlandırabilir.
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Ortak projelerde neler yapılabilir
Motorun termodinamik optimizasyonu ve testlerinde mühendislik işbirliği (2026 yer testleri ve 2029 hibrit uçuş aşamalarında potansiyel katkı).
Teknoloji transferi ve ortak Ar-Ge ile İspanya’nın motor tasarım/ihracat kabiliyetini güçlendirmesi.
KAAN’ın İspanya Hava Kuvvetleri için “yerlileştirilmiş” versiyonu (eğer FCAS gecikirse veya yetersiz kalırsa hazır uçan 5. nesil bir platform olarak) ciddi bir katkı oluşturulabilir. Buradan HÜRJET’ten başlayarak genişleyen eğitim, bakım ve lojistik işbirliği de önemli bir alt yapı oluşturabilir.
Gelişmeler hakkında İspanya’nın oldukça net bir mesajı var: FCAS’ta sorunlar devam ederse, halihazırda uçuş testlerinde olan bir 5. nesil savaş uçağı (KAAN) ve hükümetler arası görüşmeye hazır bir ortaklık masada duruyor. Bu gelişme, Türkiye-İspanya savunma ilişkilerinde stratejik bir dönüm noktası olabilir.
Let's talk about the engine. Analysis of an agreement that could be very beneficial
Roberto Escamez/defensayseguridad.es
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To understand this, you have to look at the TF35000, the 35,000-pound thrust engine that Turkey has just unveiled (May 2025) and which in early February 2026 entered the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase. This means that the design has gone through all the necessary engineering cycles and is at the point where the final details are added before starting full-scale prototype manufacturing, and that it is designed to retire the American General Electric F110 engines in the KAAN.
The technological "bobbin lace"
Turkey has the ambition and the money, but Spain (through ITP Aero) has the certification and expertise in the "hot side" of engines that Turkey is still maturing.
TEI (muscle and base): They are experts in manufacturing high-precision components and already manufacture more than 1,500 different parts for General Electric and Rolls-Royce engines. They have the infrastructure, but they lack the full design of a 5th generation engine from scratch.
ITP Aero (the brain of the turbine): ITP is a world leader in Low Pressure Turbine (LPT). In the Eurofighter engine (EJ200), ITP demonstrated that it can design components that withstand extreme temperatures and brutal pressures. Without ITP, it would take TF35000 another decade for the Turkish engine to become efficient.
The exchange: what does each one gain?
It is not a simple purchase-sale, it is a strategic co-development:
-For Spain (ITP): it is freed from the "dictatorship" of the French Safran. In the FCAS engine, Safran commands and ITP obeys. In the TF35000 of Turkey, ITP enters as a priority design partner. This allows it to maintain its R+D centers in the Basque Country and Madrid working on cutting-edge technology that would otherwise go to France.
-For Turkey (TEI): obtains the "European Label". Collaborating with ITP allows Turkey to ensure that its engine meets EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) airworthiness standards, which is vital if they want to export the KAAN to countries such as Spain, Indonesia or Saudi Arabia.
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The engine roadmap (2026-2032)
The plan is extremely ambitious and is already underway:
- 2026 (bench tests): The first prototype of the TF35000 is expected to begin ground testing. This is where the engineers of ITP and TEI (in case of formalizing a cooperation) would adjust the thermodynamics of the engine.
- 2029 (hybrid flight): A prototype of the KAAN is planned to be flown with an F110 engine (American) and a TF35000 engine (Turkish or Spanish-Turkish if the cooperation is formalized) to compare performances in real time.
- 2032 (full integration): Date set for the KAAN to be an aircraft 100% independent of US vetoes (ITAR).
Pros and cons of this specific alliance
| PROS | CONS |
| ITAR independence: the US will not be able to veto the sale of the KAAN if the engine is Spanish-Turkish. | Complexity: Designing a 35,000 lb. engine is the "Everest" of engineering; any failure delays the entire aircraft. |
| Workload: ITP ensures decades of maintenance and parts manufacturing for a global fleet. | Political pressure: France and the US will put pressure on Spain so that ITP does not "give away" key knowledge to Turkey. |
| Software sovereignty: ITP and TEI can design the FADEC (the software that controls the engine) without "backdoors". | Development cost: it requires a massive initial investment that Turkey is currently supporting with Arab aid. |
In short, the ITP-TEI collaboration is Spain's insurance policy. If the FCAS goes under, Spain will already have its engineers inside the "heart" of the only 5th generation fighter to be manufactured in the NATO environment outside the US and the UK.
To understand whether the KAAN is a winning bet for Spain, it is necessary to analyse the "muscle" that ITP Aero and TEI would be developing. We are not dealing with just any engine; the goal of the TF35000 is to overcome the limitations of the F-35 and offer what the Eurofighter could never have by design: thermal invisibility and sustained supercruise.
Here is the technical comparison between the heart of the KAAN and its main rivals:
Performance Comparison: TF35000 (KAAN) vs. Rivals
| Specification | TF35000 (Spanish-Turkish) | F135 (F-35 USA) | EJ200 (Eurofighter) |
| Maximum thrust | ~35,000 lb (Target) | 43,000 lbs | 20,000 lb (x2 = 40,000) |
| Architecture | Twin-engine | Single engine | Twin-engine |
| Super Cruise | YES (Mach 1.4 – 1.6) | No (short bursts only) | Yes (Mach 1.2) |
| Thermal signature | Very Low (optimized 5th Gen) | Medium/High (by gross power, although lowered thanks to the nozzle design and the use of fuel as coolant, being later Low/Very Low) | High (no stealth) |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | 9:1 (projected) | 7.4:1 | 9:1 |
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The "supercruise" factor: the big advantage over the F-35
The American F-35 is powerful but "heavy" and heats up fast; It cannot fly at supersonic speeds on a sustained basis without using the afterburner (which depletes fuel and gives away its position).
The ITP-TEI contribution would be that, being a twin-engine design with a low-pressure turbine (LPT) section designed by ITP, the KAAN seeks an efficient supercruiser. This would allow the Spanish/Turkish fighter to patrol large areas at Mach 1.5 without turning on the afterburner, being virtually invisible to long-range thermal radars.
Thermal management: the "stealth" of the engine
A 5th generation aircraft must not only be invisible to radar, but also to heat.
ITP's challenge: ITP Aero is a specialist in composite materials and monocrystalline alloys. It would be working with TEI to make the KAAN's nozzles disperse heat much more aggressively than on the Eurofighter. And, as a result, this makes infrared search missiles (such as those used by Russian or Chinese fighters) much more difficult to "engage" the KAAN in close combat.
The Push Dilemma: Why 35,000 lbs?
The Turkish-Spanish engine does not seek to be the most powerful in the world (the American F135 surpasses it), but the most balanced. Having two 35,000 lb engines, the KAAN has 70,000 lb of total thrust. This gives it superior maneuverability to the F-35 and allows it to take off with a full internal weapons load (missiles and bombs inside the hold so as not to lose stealth) without compromising range.
Critical developmental risks
Not everything is rosy. Developing this engine is the greatest industrial challenge in the history of Spain and Turkey:
Material life cycle: The biggest secret of American engines is how long their parts last before melting due to heat. ITP and TEI have to prove that their materials can withstand thousands of hours of flight without breaking.
The FADEC (the brain): The software that controls fuel injection and thrust must be hack-proof. If Spain and ITP manage to develop an independent FADEC, Spain would have full control over the "life" of the aircraft for the first time.
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What does this mean for the Air Force?
If the KAAN mounts the ITP-TEI engine, Spain would go from being a country that "maintains" foreign engines to a country that designs and exports the most complex technology on the planet. A KAAN with these engines would be faster than an F-35, more invisible than a Eurofighter and, above all, 100% free of external political vetoes.
Although at present, there is no signed agreement between ITP Aero and TEI for the KAAN engine. What we have been analyzing is the "projected" scenario that the industry and the specialized press are beginning to draw, especially after the events of late 2025.
However, so that it doesn't seem like we're talking about science fiction, here are the real events that are happening right now (February 2026) and that explain why those "contacts" are on everyone's lips:
1. The real precedent: the Hürjet contract (December 2025)
Just a few weeks ago, Spain and Turkey closed a historic agreement of 2,600 million euros (excluding taxes) for 30 Hürjet trainer aircraft.
Why it is important, because this contract includes maintenance and training in Spain. This means that Spanish defence personnel and auxiliary companies are now going to start working with Turkish Aerospace (TAI) technology officially. It is not a theory; There is already money and planes on the table.
2. Turkish Aerospace's "flirtation" with Spain (January 2026)
At the end of January this year, TAI sources publicly confirmed that they are "fully prepared" to explore cooperation with Spain in the KAAN programme. The message is direct: "If the FCAS does not work, here you have a 5th generation fighter that is already flying and we are willing to talk from government to government".
3. Why are we talking about ITP Aero and TEI?
Although there is no formal alliance, the sector knows that they are pieces that fit together perfectly. Turkey's problem is that TEI is developing the TF35000 national engine to eliminate dependence on the US (F110 engines). It's a colossal technical challenge and they need a partner with experience in the "hot end" of fighter engines. ITP's situation, as a partner of Rolls-Royce and a leader in the Eurofighter engine, is that it has exactly the technology that Turkey lacks. With ITP now under the control of Indra and the Bain Capital fund, it has much more autonomy to seek partners outside the Franco-German axis than when it was totally dependent on the British.
4. Are there real contacts?
Officially, the Spanish Ministry of Defence maintains its loyalty to FCAS. But unofficially, after the official cancellation of the plan for the F-35 in August 2025, Spain has been left without a 5th generation "Plan B". Analysts indicate that the institutional channels between Madrid and Ankara are more open than ever. The purchase of the Hürjet is the "first step" that allows engineers from both countries to start sharing technical data.
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In summary:
What we have analysed is the strategic scenario that would open up if Spain decides that FCAS is no longer viable. The ITP-TEI alliance is the industrial logical consequence that would follow that political decision. In the current situation,we are in the "trial and error" phase. Turkey has opened the door wide and Spain has set foot on the landing by buying the Hürjet. The next step, if FCAS is still blocked in 2026, would be to start talking about the engine.
Will there be an agreement for the joint development of the KAAN?
For this "trial and error" between Madrid and Ankara to go from being an industrial flirtation to a signature in the BOE, three political planets would have to align that, today, are already beginning to move:
The official recognition of the technical death of FCAS
The Government of Spain will not move towards Turkey as long as it can maintain the fiction that FCAS is advancing. However, we are reaching a critical point. The deadline is 2026, which is the year in which funds for Phase 2 of the FCAS demonstrator must be released. If France continues to block Indra's access to flight control algorithms or if Germany decides that it prefers to spend that money on buying more F-35s and joining GCAP, the Spanish government will have the "perfect excuse" to look for an alternative under the slogan of "national strategic autonomy".
The Indra factor and the "national champion"
Under the current management, Indra has ceased to be a simple service company to become the national defence pole (with ITP Aero under its orbit). For the Turkish option to be official, the government needs Indra to tell it: "President, in FCAS we are secondary; in the KAAN with Turkey we would be co-owners of the technology" If Indra sees that its global growth involves leading the avionics of a fighter that is going to be sold massively in Asia and the Middle East (KAAN), it will pressure the government to change sides.
Triangulation with Italy (the Mediterranean bridge)
Spain rarely moves alone in Europe. The political key could be in Italy.
Italy is already in the GCAP (with the United Kingdom and Japan), but maintains an excellent relationship with Turkey. If Spain and Italy decide to create a "Mediterranean bloc" of defence to collaborate with Turkey, the political weight would be enough for Brussels to not be able to impose sanctions or vetoes. It would be a way of saying to France: "If you don't share, we'll look for other partners."
What would we see in the coming weeks if this accelerates?
If the rapprochement is real, keep an eye out for these "indicators" in the news:
State visits: a visit by the Minister of Defence to the TAI facilities in Ankara under the pretext of "supervising the Hürjet contract".
-R+D memoranda: the signing of collaboration agreements in cybersecurity or drones between Spanish and Turkish companies (the "baby steps" before the fighter).
-Change of discourse: the Ministry will start talking less about the "European plane" and more about "open multipurpose platforms".
My conclusion "with sparkle"
Spain is in that typical situation of a toxic relationship (FCAS) where one partner (France) does not let you grow, but you are afraid to leave because of "what will they say" in the international community, while the other partner (Germany) seems to be going on the adventure alone of other projects. Turkey is that new partner, perhaps a little controversial, but which offers you the keys to the house and 50% of the business from day one.
Roberto Escámez