New Digital Capabilities Enter Service at the KAAN Technology Facility

New digital design and simulation capabilities have been introduced at the dedicated technology facility built for the KAAN national combat aircraft. With the commissioning of a digital twin infrastructure and advanced engineering software, the aim is to accelerate development and test processes.

Why the digital twin matters

A digital twin means modelling a physical platform, together with all its subsystems, in a computing environment and continuously updating that model with real test data. In modern combat aircraft programmes this approach allows design changes to be evaluated without producing a physical prototype, and large numbers of scenarios to be screened by simulation before flight testing. Even where the number of test sorties does not fall, the value extracted from each sortie increases.

A shift to model-based engineering

The software infrastructure brought into service at the facility supports a model-based systems engineering approach. In this method, requirements, design, verification and configuration management are connected on a single digital backbone. On a fifth-generation platform where avionics, structural and propulsion subsystems affect one another, this integration is expected to help catch design errors at an early stage.

Parallel variant development

The work carried out at the facility is said to lay the groundwork for developing different KAAN variants in parallel. Working on a common digital baseline makes it easier to manage configuration differences and to reduce repeated engineering workload. The approach also matters for managing configurations intended for export customers.

The wider programme context

KAAN made its first flight on 21 February 2024 and its second on 6 May 2024. With a wingspan of 13.4 metres, a length of 20.3 metres and a maximum take-off weight of 34,750 kilograms, the aircraft is designed around two engines each producing 13,150 kgf of thrust. The prototypes use General Electric F110 engines, while national engine work continues. The contracted milestones, the block structure and the export-control questions that sit around those engines are set out in our guide to where the KAAN fighter programme actually stands.

Assessment

Digitalisation investments carry the potential to shorten the development cycle, and it is emphasised that the infrastructure acquired can be carried over to future national aviation projects. That said, digital twin and simulation capabilities do not remove the physical constraints facing the programme — in particular the engine development timeline and flight test verification processes. Their contribution will emerge to the extent that they are fed with accurate data and regularly calibrated against test results.