This year, the celebration of Turkey's Victory Day (March 18), which honors the Battle of Anakkale (Gallipoli), fell on the same day as the 100th anniversary of Kemal Atatürk's creation of the modern Turkish Republic. Turkish Aerospace (TAI) picked this date because of the significance of the Milli Muharip Uçak (MMU, National Combat Aircraft), a fifth-generation fighter formerly known as the TF-X. On March 16, the aircraft performed a self-propelled taxi before a low-key launch ceremony two days later. The MMU prototype closely mimics the mock-up displayed at international air shows, albeit with a more "humped" profile that gives the pilot a better overall view but makes TAI's goals for supercruising more difficult.
The plane has some F-22/F-35-like similarities and is supposed to have low-observable (LO) design elements such internal weapons bays, leading-edge alignment, and maybe radar-absorbent materials and structures. According to TAI, the plane includes an AESA radar with "more than twice as many [transmit and receive modules]" as the AN/APG-77 on the F-22, as well as LO installations for infrared search and track and electro-optic arrays above and below the nose. The MMU is one of three Block 0 development aircraft that make up Phase One of the program. The last aircraft will be finished in 2026 and will each be powered by two General Electric F110 engines. Although the maiden flight was originally scheduled for 2026, TAI now anticipates it will occur by the end of this year. The Turkish Air Force will receive 10 Block One aircraft as part of Phase Two, which will start in late 2028 and last until 2033. Deliveries of follow-on Blocks will commence off Phase Three in 2034.
The fifth-generation MMU was initially planned to complement the high-end F-35 as the less capable part of a high/low mix of fighter aircraft types. The MMU has gained additional significance as a result of Turkey's withdrawal from the F-35 program, at least initially serving as the future force's high-end component alongside modernized F-16s. After then, the first-generation MMU might help the MMU eventually satisfy the high-end need. The Hürjet advanced trainer and the T929 Atak-2 heavy attack helicopter both made their first flights on March 18, which was another milestone that TAI had originally hoped to hit. On that day, the Hürjet taxied for the first time with its own power, but the Atak-2 was not displayed.
TAI did, however, make public the Anka-3 MIUS (national unmanned combat air vehicle system) prototype, which is purportedly intended to function as an adjunct or "loyal wingman" to the human MMU in specific missions and duties. It is unclear if the Anka-3 UCAV, which resembles the X-45C, Neuron, and Taranis from Dassault and BAE Systems, is meant to complement the Bayraktar Kzlelma UCAV, which is currently undergoing flight testing, or if the two aircraft are rivals for the opportunity to meet Turkey's Project MIUS requirement for a low-observable, supersonic, carrier-capable UCAV.