Turkey to Establish Facility to Improve TF-X MMU Jet’s Stealthiness

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is setting up a facility to test the radar cross section (RCS) of homegrown air platforms, including the TF-X National Combat Aircraft (MMU).

In a statement Tuesday, TAI said the facility will be the biggest of its kind in Turkey and the fifth-largest around the globe in terms of capacity. It is set to begin operations as of the second quarter of 2024.

The testing facility will contribute to the design features that would give a platform a low RCS and will detect the amount of radar energy that an object reflects back to the source.

The TF-X MMU will be unveiled for the first time on March 18 next year, and will make its maiden flight in 2026. It is being developed as the country is planning to gradually phase out the Air Force’s F-16s by the 2030s.

Turkish media have compared the TF-X MMU with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II, a jet Turkey wanted but couldn’t get its hands on because it bought S-400 systems from Russia.