GE Aerospace's six-decade partnership with Türkiye began in 1966 and has since grown into one of the company's most significant international relationships – spanning defense and commercial aviation, precision manufacturing through joint ventures, and deep-rooted engineering collaboration across the country. Over the last 60 years, GE Aerospace has developed its presence in Türkiye to include a robust engineering base, advanced R&D capabilities, manufacturing, and long-term partnerships that support both defense and commercial fleets. Below, six key figures help tell the story of GE Aerospace’s longstanding presence in Türkiye.
2: Supporting Türkiye’s Two Indigenous Programs
Two programs illustrate the next chapter of GE Aerospace’s commitment to defense readiness in Türkiye: HÜRJET and KAAN.
Since being selected in 2020 to power HÜRJET, GE Aerospace’s F404 engine has played a central role in one of Türkiye’s most significant indigenous aerospace programs. HÜRJET, the country’s first domestically developed advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, has been supported by expanding collaboration between GE Aerospace, Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ), and TUSAŞ Engine Industries Inc. (TEI) through MoUs signed in 2024 and 2025. That collaboration recently reached a new milestone with a finalized agreement to provide F404 engines for the platform, along with ongoing technical and operational support.
Selected by Turkish Aerospace between 2019 and 2021 to power the KAAN program’s prototypes, GE Aerospace’s F110 engines are helping propel Türkiye’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft. That collaboration expanded in 2022 with an agreement for additional F110 engines, reinforcing GE Aerospace’s role in supporting one of the country’s most ambitious indigenous aerospace programs.
500: People Connecting Türkiye to Global Programs
Established in 2000 with a small group of design engineers in Gebze, GE Aerospace’s Türkiye Technology Center (TTC) has grown to employ more than 500 scientists, researchers and engineers.
Today, TTC operates across its engineering campus in Kartal and laboratories in Gebze. The Gebze facilities include an Additive Research Lab, a Thermofluid Lab, and an Advanced Manufacturing and Repair Shop.
GE Aerospace’s TTC teams contribute to programs including the GEnx, CFM LEAP, GE9X engine programs and CFM* RISE** program, as well as aeroderivative technologies and digital solutions used by customers worldwide. Their work includes engineering design, software development, advanced manufacturing, flight operations, and maintenance and reliability analytics.
1966: Where it all began
GE Aerospace’s relationship with Türkiye began in defense in 1966, when the Turkish Air Force introduced F-5A/B aircraft powered by two J85 engines each. Over the years, that relationship expanded as the Turkish Air Force added more GE Aerospace-powered platforms to its fleet. In 1985, the collaboration deepened further with an agreement for in-country F110 engine parts production, assembly, inspection, and testing.
Commercial aviation followed in 1973, when a CF6-powered DC-10 joined Turkish Airlines’ fleet. In the decades that followed, GE Aerospace’s presence expanded beyond engine supply into local manufacturing, maintenance and advanced engineering. This was further expanded with the establishment of the TTC in 2000.
1985: Building Industrial Capability Through TEI
In 1985, GE Aerospace joined Turkish Aerospace and other Turkish partners*** to establish TEI in Eskişehir. The joint venture helped develop in-country capabilities in engine component manufacturing, assembly, inspection, testing, and maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Today, TEI is an important contributor to GE Aerospace’s global supply chain. It manufactures hundreds of components for GE Aerospace and its partners, including turbines and compressors for CFM LEAP, GEnx and GE9X engines, and supports prototyping for the CFM RISE program.
What began as a partnership supporting local priorities now contributes to engine programs and customers worldwide.
3,100: A growing installed base
Today, GE Aerospace and partner engines make up an installed base of more than 3,100 commercial and defense engines in service and on order across Türkiye.
On the commercial side, engines including the GEnx, GE90, CFM LEAP and CFM56* support widebody and narrowbody fleets operated by Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines and SunExpress.
That installed base continues to grow. In 2025, Turkish Airlines selected more than 100 GEnx engines to power 50 Boeing 787 aircraft, with options for 25 additional aircraft. The agreement also includes spare engines and a 15-year TrueChoice services agreement.
In the same year, Pegasus Airlines signed an agreement for up to 300 CFM LEAP-1B engines for its future Boeing 737-10 fleet, together with spare engines and long-term maintenance services.
On the defense side, GE Aerospace’s relationship with Türkiye has expanded from that first J85 to include engines such as the F101, F110, F404, T58, and T700 for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, as well as marine gas turbines for naval vessels. The reliability and performance of these engines and turbines have played an important role in supporting the nation’s defense capabilities.
8,200: Inspiring the Next Generation
Aviation’s next chapter depends on the people who will imagine and build it.
Through the Youth Pathway to Science program, developed in 2023 and delivered in partnership with Habitat Association, GE Aerospace volunteers helped more than 8,200 young people explore STEM subjects across the country.
Employee volunteers and their networks also mentor university students, organize STEM hackathons with Darüşşafaka students, and open TTC’s doors through job-shadowing programs. Together with early-career development and university engagement, these initiatives help make careers in aerospace and engineering more visible to the next generation.
The Next Chapter
Sixty years after J85-powered F-5A/B aircraft entered Turkish service, GE Aerospace's presence in Türkiye connects engines flying today with technologies being developed for tomorrow. From F404 engines powering HÜRJET and F110 engines propelling KAAN, to TEI's role in the global supply chain, the next chapter is already taking shape – built on six decades of partnership and engineered for what comes next.
To explore more milestones from GE Aerospace in Türkiye, please click here.
*CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.
** Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) is a technology demonstration program of CFM International.. It is not a product offered for commercial sale.
*** TUSAS Engine Industries Inc. (TEI) is an incorporated company established as a joint venture of Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc., GE Aerospace, Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TAFF) and Turkish Aeronautical Association (TAA).
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