8082Views
Turkish Aerospace Pakistan Test Flies IQBAL Scaled Technology Demonstrator
On 14 March 2025, Turkish Aerospace Pakistan successfully conducting the maiden test flight of “IQBAL,” a locally developed technology demonstrator.
Named in honor of Pakistani national poet, Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the IQBAL demonstrator is a 1:7 dynamically scaled version of the Turkish Aerospace KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet (FGFA).
The six-minute test flight showcased the engineering design and development capacity TAI is developing at its subsidiary in Pakistan.
Turkish Aerospace's Goals in Pakistan
According to Turkish Aerospace Pakistan, “IQBAL serves as a test bed for various advanced aerospace technologies and it will play a key role in the technological evolution of KAAN.”
It should be noted that IQBAL is unrelated to Project ‘PFX.’ The IQBAL is purely a project of Turkish Aerospace Pakistan, while the PFX is a program of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP).
Advancing Pakistan's Private Sector in Defence
While a basic project in scope compared to the work Turkish Aerospace is carrying out at its facilities in Turkiye, the IQBAL is a key progressive step for the company’s subsidiary in Pakistan and for the country’s private sector.
Most of Pakistan’s aerospace development occurs in state-owned enterprises (SOE), such as Air Weapons Complex (AWC) and, to a lesser extent, NASTP. Outside of SOEs, the input and capacity of the private sector is limited.
Thus, for a private sector entity, especially a foreign vendor like Turkish Aerospace, the ability to nurture skilled R&D capacity outside of Pakistan’s SOE environment is a significant factor. If it continues building relevant expertise through IQBAL and, in time, more complex projects, Turkish Aerospace Pakistan could become a valuable development asset for Turkish Aerospace-proper.
A Launch Vehicle for Offsets
Turkish Aerospace may hope to leverage its Pakistani subsidiary to take on more development and testing work so as to lower costs and accelerate timelines. That said, however, nurturing Pakistani R&D for its own sake is not Turkish Aerospace’s primary aspiration. Rather, the likelier goal, at least in the near-term, is to leverage Turkish Aerospace Pakistan as a beachhead for incentives.
End of excerpt (270/840 words).
Existing Quwa Premium members can log in below
Note: Logged in members may need to refresh the article page to see the article.
