The United States has suspended exports of critical aircraft engines to Turkey after uncovering Ankara’s attempt to quietly develop its own stealth fighter, the KAAN, using American technology while competing directly with the U.S.-made F-35.
Washington identified the move as a strategic “trick”: Turkey sought to purchase American F110 engines, install them in its indigenous fifth-generation fighter, and then offer the jet at a far lower price than the $100+ million F-35—potentially undercutting U.S. defense exports.
The U.S. Congress has now blocked engine sales, citing Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system and ongoing tensions over America’s support for Kurdish forces in Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed the embargo, calling it an unprecedented setback that threatens to stall the KAAN program at a critical stage.
The decision reflects deep mistrust within NATO and could significantly weaken Turkey’s ambition to join the small group of nations producing stealth fighters. It also carries strategic weight across the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and South Asia, where Ankara seeks to expand its influence through defense exports.