Following the news that Turkey has invited bids for the development of the turbofan engine for its TF-X fighter jet;

Harry Boneham, Aerospace Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“The TF-X, a model of which is expected to feature at Farnborough Airshow 2022, is envisaged as a fifth-generation fighter, similar to Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 following the contentious acquisition of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, rendering the TF-X as Turkey’s primary combat aircraft of the future.

“Reportedly, potential bidders in a three-way contest include Turkish firms Tusas Engine Industries, TRMotor, and TAEC, with the latter being a partnership between British Rolls-Royce and Turkish company, Kale Group. A successful bid would no doubt be a lucrative opportunity for the successful party, with GlobalData forecasting $6.47 billion to be spent on the TF-X between 2022-32. The successful bidder will see a portion of this forecasted budget.

“It could be argued that, of the three firms in the contest, TAEC possesses the greatest capability in the aerospace engines sector by virtue of Rolls-Royce’s involvement. However, a top Turkish procurement official has indicated that an essential requirement for the eventual successful bid is that associated intellectual property must be owned by Turkey. Whilst TAEC is majority owned by Kale Group (51%), it is unclear whether a TAEC bid including Rolls-Royce would satisfy this requirement.

“Tusas Engine Industries is the most experienced fully-owned Turkish firm in the contest, with a background of designing and developing engines particularly for unmanned platforms. TRMotor has relatively less knowledge in the sector, although in February 2022, Tusas and TRMotor signed an agreement for the joint development of power units for the TF-X (MMU). Therefore, there is potential for collaboration between the two firms.”