Simply since nothing fits. Timeframe/schedule, performance & cost, ...
- They claim a fighter in dimensions and performances in the league above the F-15 but have so far built not a single own aircraft type.
One doesn't need to have built a fighter in the previous generation to be able to build one. Otherwise when does one start if one is not one of the brothers Wright? The various Turkish aviation companies have lots of experience of building parts for airliners, helicopters and fighter aircraft. They don't start from scratch. And even then, Turkey has years of experience with the Hurkus and is currently building a supersonic jet, the Hurjet.
- assembling in licence or manufacturing as a subcontractor give you at best some expertise but not all they need.
And together with a large industrial and technological base like Turkey has, it should be able to.
- They want to do this by a schedule that is plain impossible even for countries with much larger experience.
Perhaps they have accumulated enough experience for it to do so. Turkey today is not the Turkey from 2010. And the Turkey from 2030 is not going to be the Turkey from today.
- They want to accomplish this all with a budget that is plain unrealistic.
Why? the budget is $10 billion for the design and development and salaries for the engineers for the total development time of 10 years. The KF-21 which is a smaller plane costs $8 billion~to develop. This development cost including construction cost of ~240-250 TF-X and life-cycle cost is around $60 billion. Source is in Turkish though:
- They want to use F110 engines for the prototypes but neither GE has confirmed this use (quite uncommon in comparison to other similar cases) nor the USA (which is a mandatory MUST).
If the US doesn't grant permission to GE to supply the 5 F110 engines to be used in the prototypes, then Turkey will look for a Russian alternative. Russia has already stated they are willing to help Turkey with the TF-X program. But I am sure it won't go that far.
- They want to replace these engines for the following prototypes with a clean-sheet engine, that is not even specified, after RR bailed out due to unrealistic demands on ToT and in a time much lesser any country with vastly more experience in engine design.
RR has teamed up with Kale group and they submitted their proposal (the same company that produces part for the F135 engine) for the development of the TF-X engine:
They simply have ZERO experience especially in such a sophisticated engine
I've just shown that Kale produces parts for the F135 engine.
(just look; The Altai's powerpack is still a failure,
Yes a failure on the part of Germany to deliver. Turkey is currently developing a tank engine for the Altay of which the first ignition has already taken place or is about to. Again the source is in Turkish:
"
The 1500HP Engines (BATU) Design is finished and the parts have been ordered and around april the engine will be Ignited and the transmission and engine for Altay are being developed simultaneously. The Transmission carries the 1500HP without a problem but BMC is trying to make the tank a lighter. BMC are looking to buy available power packs to fill the gap until BATU engine is ready from April there will be testing but the engine is already being tested extensively in Testing Centers."
They want to replace these engines for the following prototypes with a clean-sheet engine, that is not even specified,
They plan on igniting the indigenous engine in 2027 and serial produce it in 2032. The thrust is 30000lb as recently stated by the TAI head:
after RR bailed out due to unrealistic demands on ToT and in a time much lesser any country with vastly more experience in engine design. the small turboshaft for the small helicopter has just begun with its first test and besides assembling F110s for GE, there is no technical base) Just see how Russia struggled with their Izd.30 engine, how China fights for the WS-15 ...)
The Russian and Chinese engines are the highest performance engines just like the F135/136. Turkey aims for a more modest goal, namely 30000lbs of thrust. This is 1980's Soviet and US engine technology thrust level.
As such, a comparable engine on their own in 2028 as they claim is PLAIN IMPOSSIBLE and so how will they roll out a prototype next year when design is not even finished. Just look at the KFX?
Not next year, but in 2023, two years. And in the extreme case they will roll it out with spare F110 from the F-16 stock. Construction of the plane is slated to start in 2022
In fact, nothing fits and they know it ... it is nothing but a hoax.
In fact as I have proven above, a lot of it fits.
If one does not follow the Turkish military developments at least once a week, one is bound to miss a lot of info from various interviews and sources. It is not a shame though because the Turkish defense industry is progressing not by steps, but by leaps and bounds
