Turkish fighter jet takes first flight as Ankara eyes Asian buyers

ISTANBUL -- A prototype of Turkey's KAAN fighter jet made its maiden flight on Wednesday with defense industry officials hoping to eventually export the aircraft to countries in Asia and the Gulf.

Turkey has stepped up efforts to develop fighter planes since it was expelled from the F-35, 5th-generation stealth fighter aircraft program led by the U.S. in 2019 after it acquired Russian missile defense systems.