Turkey’s national combat jet TF-X to fly by 2023: Minister

LONDON - Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s national combat jet TF-X will become operational by 2023, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli has vowed.

“We will complete all the steps as soon as possible. There will be no delay,” Canikli told reporters in London on Nov. 27.

“I won’t give an exact date but our primary goal is to make it fly in 2023,” he added.

Canikli said many countries, including the U.K., are providing technological support as part of the project, but Turkey will not depend on a single country or company for the project.

“When you work with a single company, or when you depend on a single country, you could face different problems in certain stages of the project,” he said.