Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Turkish Aerospace is gearing up to begin test flights of the next two prototypes of its Kaan fifth-generation fighter this year as the company remains on target for delivery to the Turkish Air Force later in the decade, Turkish Aerospace president and CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters during the Farnborough International Airshow, Demiroğlu said the company has 10 GE F110 turbofans in stock in Ankara, Türkiye, for prototypes.
Plans call for Turkish Aerospace to buy 80 of the engines for serial production of the Mach 1.8 multirole aircraft. He added that the U.S. Congress granted export license approval for them on July 9. These engines are anticipated to fill the short-term needs until the domestically developed TEI TF-35000 is ready for service.
With serial production anticipated in the next two years, “We will have no issue receiving those engines in time to support our serial production,” he said.
Initial deliveries to the Turkish Air Force are still anticipated in 2028, Demiroğlu said, cautioning, “These are challenging programs, and we are hoping that we’ll keep that delivery time.”
As for the flights of the next two prototypes, he said the company is waiting for a few tests to be completed and anticipated that P1 would fly in a couple of months with P2 by the end of the year. “That’s our goal.”
Meanwhile, Demiroğlu confirmed that the T70 heavy utility helicopter program has fully restarted and that the company reached an agreement with Sikorsky at the beginning of the year for another 39 units—“and we received the export license…so, we don’t see any problem.”&nbsp;
While the joint Sikorsky/Turkish Aerospace program—which launched more than a decade ago—suffered setbacks over U.S. sanctions and licensing issues after the initial deliveries, Turkish Aerospace made contract changes in consultation with Sikorsky, along with the U.S. and Turkish governments, Demiroğlu added. “We found a way, and now it is back in.”
Under the Turkish Utility Helicopter Program, Turkish Aerospace and Sikorsky are to produce up to 109 of the T70 Black Hawks based on the Sikorsky S-70i under a potential $3.5 billion program.
Meanwhile, Turkish Aerospace continues work on its own 19-passenger, 12,000-kg T925 utility helicopter developed in-house. Demiroğlu stressed that even as the T70 program continues, the T925 program is on the “full burner, not even a back burner.” He explained this is because T70 acquisition is filling current requirements, but in the early 2030s, many such helicopters in the Turkish Armed Forces will begin retiring.
Turkish Aerospace sees a need for more than 200 by 2040, he estimated. “T925 is going to fill that gap.” Demiroğlu also believes there will be export opportunities, with a demand for another 200.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Turkish Aerospace Readying for Next Step in Kaan Flight Tests

First deliveries anticipated in 2028

Turkish Aerospace anticipates flying two Kaan prototypes, P1 and P2, this year.

Turkish Aerospace Readies for Next Step in Kaan Flight Tests

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Howard Hardee

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Assembly of the first aircraft expected to start in 2029

Radia CEO’s Business Case for WindRunner Cargo Concept

David Donald

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Laser-guided APKWS light rocket rapidly adapted for air-to-air use

Typhoon Rapidly Gains Anti-drone Capability

Aircraft already deployed on missions

German Navy Takes Delivery of Three P-8s

Cristofer Slotoroff

Dubai-based cargo carrier adds British certification and targets a doubled fleet by year-end

SolitAir Secures UK Approval as Freighter Network Expands

Charlotte Bailey

Pallet-launched Barracuda 500M exits the rear ramp

Anduril Cruise Missiles Could Launch From Embraer’s C-390

Leeham News and Analysis Staff

777X expected to enter service next year

Boeing Faces ‘Terrible Teens’ Scenario with Early 777-9s

Charles Alcock

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Farnborough Airshow 2026

In this article

Turkish Aerospace Industries

More In Aircraft

Radia CEO’s Business Case for WindRunner Cargo Concept

Assembly of the first aircraft expected to start in 2029

Typhoon Rapidly Gains Anti-drone Capability

Laser-guided APKWS light rocket rapidly adapted for air-to-air use

German Navy Takes Delivery of Three P-8s

Aircraft already deployed on missions

SolitAir Secures UK Approval as Freighter Network Expands

Dubai-based cargo carrier adds British certification and targets a doubled fleet by year-end

Anduril Cruise Missiles Could Launch From Embraer’s C-390

Pallet-launched Barracuda 500M exits the rear ramp

Boeing Faces ‘Terrible Teens’ Scenario with Early 777-9s

777X expected to enter service next year

Electra and Beehive Boost Ohio’s Aerospace Footprint

The Buckeye State catches a charge and a buzz

BAE Systems, Boeing, and Saab Team for UK Trainer

The proposal commits to a UK final assembly facility

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN