Riyadh: Saudi Arabia will deal a strong blow to its old friend America. Saudi Arabia plans to purchase the fifth generation fighter jet “KAAN” being developed in Türkiye for its air force. Saudi Arabia is preparing for a major deal, as the purchase of 100 fighter jets is being considered. Prince Turki bin Bandar Al Saud, Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, recently visited Türkiye, where the proposal to purchase CAN fighter jets was discussed. The deal will be further evidence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s growing influence in the region. During the visit, Prince Turki held discussions with several Turkish defense companies, including Roketsan, Aselsan and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the manufacturer of CAN fighter aircraft. are included. Defense reports stated that during the visit, the prince obtained the latest information about the capabilities of KAAN combat aircraft to the Turkish and Saudi delegations and explored potential strategic cooperation between the two countries regarding the aircraft.
Türkiye will transfer technology
Saudi Arabia is rapidly working to field fifth-generation fighter jets. The potential deal between the two countries is expected to include technology transfer and local manufacturing of fifth-generation fighter aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The proposed acquisition would strengthen defense relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey as the two major powers in the region.
Increasing rapprochement between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia
Defense relations between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia have witnessed a strengthening. On July 18 last year, Saudi Arabia announced plans to invest US$3 billion to purchase Akinci drones manufactured by the Turkish company Baker Technology. The purchase is the largest defense contract concluded by Türkiye to date. On August 6, the Saudi Military Industries Company announced that 70 percent of Akinji drone spare parts that will be purchased for the Kingdom will be manufactured locally.
