By Mekhla Raina
(Reuters) - British engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (LON:RR) confirmed it had scaled back efforts to join a Turkish program to build a new fighter jet with Turkey's Kale Group.
The Financial Times reported earlier that talks between Kale and Rolls-Royce ran into problems last year because of a dispute about the sharing of intellectual property and the involvement of a Qatari-Turkish company.
A Rolls-Royce spokesman told Reuters, "We have worked closely with Kale throughout this process and the offer that remains on the table is for a co-developed solution delivered through our JV company, TAEC."
Kale Group did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In 2017, Kale Group said it would set up a joint venture with Rolls-Royce to develop aircraft engines after the UK and Turkey signed a defense deal worth more than 100 million pounds ($133 million) to develop Turkish fighter jets.
Last year, Turkish Defense Industry Director Ismail Demir said the door remained open for international engine makers to get involved in Turkey's TF-X national fighter jet project.
