Turkey's most ambitious military programs are running years, and in some cases a decade, behind schedule, according to a...

Turkey's most ambitious military programs are running years, and in some cases a decade, behind schedule, according to a report by Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet. The KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet is the most glaring example. Turkey's defense ministry said in 2023 that a domestically built engine would be ready by 2028 and would complete its first test flight that same year. On August 23, 2026, the CEO of Turkish Aerospace Industries, Mehmet Demiroglu, confirmed the engine tests won't even begin until 2032, a delay of at least five years. The Altay main battle tank has a similarly troubled history. Manufacturer Otokar was stripped of the contract after its executives were accused of supporting the 2013 Gezi Park protests. The program was handed to the BMC consortium, which promised the first Altay would be delivered by mid-2020. A ceremony finally took place in October 2025, five years late, but Turkey's defense ministry never disclosed how many tanks were actually handed over. SSB chief Haluk Gorgun had pledged that the army would receive 3 Altay tanks in 2025 and 11 more by end of 2026. As of now, no official delivery announcements have been made through the defense ministry's regular communications channel. Turkey's MUGEM aircraft carrier is another case of optimistic promises colliding with reality. Erdogan said in September 2025 that construction would be finished "in one to two years, God willing." The head of Istanbul Shipyard suggested delivery before 2030. A Turkish rear admiral has since confirmed the actual delivery date is 2032, after sea trials are completed. The TF-2000 air defense destroyer may be the most extreme example. The program was revived in 2007 with the first ship meant to enter service in 2021. Construction only began in 2025, pushing the expected delivery several years past that, with a planned launch in 2028 and full delivery after that, representing roughly a decade of delays from the original schedule. The pattern across all four programs is consistent: public commitments made at the highest political levels, followed by quiet revision of timelines with little official acknowledgment of the gap. #Turkey #Defen...