Turkey is not a new player on engine sector. Industry is officially developing own turboshaft engine for own helicopters, turbojet engines to missiles, turboprop engines to trainers. What Turkey wants to do from TF-X project, is to have a stealth platform whose intellectual and property rights belong to Turkish Republic for not only overall design but also critical components, subsystems and turbofan engine in order not to meet an obstacle when We started to talk export negotiations with states that foreign sources don't like so Tender requirements are arranged to meet such mid term requirements.
In this aspect,
Eurojet multinational consortium with 20,000lb thrust power EJ engine;
1-Don't meet power requirements
2-Having independence on TF-X with Eurojet consortium is impossible. They offered to enhance the thrust of engine around %30 to meet TF-X but Turkish officials most probably requested new engine whose IP rights to be owned by Turkish institutes to be worked with them and Eurojet refused.
Consequently, Turkey underlines freedom from engine manufacturers and A consortium that Germany is inside, will never accept such a move for a Turkish strategic project. Co-development project model is the sole safe solution that Turkey can jointly develop a new engine with selected partner side by side with Turkish engineers to declare own independence. Otherwise, Noone delivers own engines to Turkish institutes to make them use However/Wherever we want. At this schedule, RR is willing to develop a new engine with Turkey's KALE to power up TF-X and Most probably, RR will be charged to officially commence the project, While a powerful engine solution will be selected for national fighter, Until national equivalent will be revealed. It is a true strategy If you ask me. Otherwise, We will keep telling the stories How Germany blocked T-155, Altay, While USA to Atak, Europe to TF-X...etc