The aircraft named "KAAN" marks a "milestone" for Turkey`s efforts to upgrade its air force, said Haluk Görgün, the head of Turkish Defence Industries Directorate (SSB), on social media platform X.

The jet will feature air-to-air combat and artificial intelligence guidance capabilities, among others, according to Anadolu.

NATO member Turkey has been officially working on developing a homegrown combat jet since 2016.

Turkish aerospace company TUSAŞ signed an agreement with UK`s BAE Systems in 2017 to develop KAAN, according to the TUSAŞ website.

Eager to modernize its air fleet, Turkey recently inked a deal to buy 40 F-16 fighter jets from the US, following a long delay.

Turkey is separately looking into buying 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said in November.

The sale of the Eurofighter, jointly built by Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, is awaiting Berlin's approval, Güler said, according to Anadolu.