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Turkish Aerospace General Manager Mehmet Demiroglu says the company’s Hurjet could become the training platform for NATO nations.
Interest in the single-engine, supersonic-capable advanced trainer is growing. The Turkish Air Force ordered 12 aircraft and the platform also has been selected by Spain as a potential replacement for the Northrop SF-5 lead-in fighter trainer.
Demiroglu says he expects the number of domestic orders to grow to as many as 100 aircraft to serve the Turkish Air Force as a T-38 Talon replacement.
In the coming weeks, Turkish Aerospace is expected to sign an agreement with Airbus in Spain to work together on customizing the aircraft for Spanish needs.
“This tells us the product we have is a good product,” Demiroglu told Aviation Week April 22. “Once the Turkish Air Force starts using it, and inshallah [God willing], Spain too, this platform could become the training platform of NATO countries.”
https://aviationweek.com/defense/light- ... g-aircraftIn February the Spanish Air Force described the Hurjet as being “well-positioned” to replace the SF-5 after Spanish air chief Gen. Francisco Braco Carbo took a flight in one of the prototypes.
Mehmet Demiroglu, general manager of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), says he is hoping to be on contract as soon as September for the first major sale of the company’s Hurjet advanced jet trainer to Spain.
Madrid plans to acquire 30 Hurjets to replace its long-serving Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighters lead-in fighter trainers, having selected the Turkish aircraft at the end of 2024.
In June, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told lawmakers that €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) had been budgeted for the Hurjet buy. Demiroglu said the company was “shooting for” contract signing in September or “by the end of October by the latest,” although traditionally the Spanish government tends to issue major defense contracts close to year-end.
https://aviationweek.com/defense/light- ... ing-hurjetOn July 24 at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) here, the program took a further step forward with the signing of a collaboration agreement that formalizes the roles of TAI and Airbus Defense and Space. The latter leads and acts as a coordinator for a consortium of Spanish companies in developing the Integrated Training System-Combat (ITS-C) that will prepare the Hurjet for Spanish Air Force use.
Agreements with the Spanish companies, which include Aernnova, GMV, Indra, ITP Aero, Grupo Oesía, and Sener, were signed in June at the Feindef defense show in Madrid.
It is not yet determined which subsystems will go into the aircraft. Engineers from both companies are currently working on which systems will be installed, depending on the cost and time impact on the program.
A production line for Hurjet in Spain is not feasible with the numbers of aircraft Spain is planning to buy, says Demiroglu. With the need to begin deliveries in 2028, a first batch of six aircraft will be delivered in a similar configuration as those destined for the Turkish Air Force. That is the “fastest way to advance their (Spanish Air Force) needs,” he says.
A second batch of aircraft will be delivered later once the modifications and adaptations with the Spanish subsystems are certified and ready; this will be done by Airbus in Spain. Eventually, all of the aircraft will be converted with the Spanish subsystems, with the modifications requiring a supplemental type certificate. According to Demiroglu, the new agreement makes it 95% clear who will do what.
“The remaining 5% is where the final negotiations are underway, including on certification … There are different approaches, but there are no showstoppers. We want to make sure the timeline of the project doesn’t get affected negatively and the cost of the project doesn’t increase unnecessarily,” he said, adding, “Each step tells us we are moving forward.”
One challenge could be a potential overlap between TAI completing development of the Hurjet for its advanced training role and the introduction of Spanish customization.
According to Demiroglu, the development work should be complete by late 2027 or early 2028. Spain formally selected the General Electric F404-powered jet trainer last December when the Spanish defense ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Turkey’s Defense Industries Agency (SSB) to develop an advanced training system for the Spanish Air Force.
Lt. Gen. General Miguel Ivorra Ruiz, head of defense industry planning at the Spanish defense ministry, told Aviation Week the Hurjet met all of the Spanish Air Force’s requirements. He said the new aircraft was needed because the F-5, despite numerous upgrades during its career, is “now at the end of its life,” adding that the need for the new aircraft was urgent.
During IDEF, TAI signed an MOU with GE Aerospace to look at potential F404 engine modifications and adaptations for the Hurjet. “The agreement opens the door for exploring alternative engine configurations to be implemented in upcoming versions of the aircraft,” TAI’s press release states.
TAI says the two Hurjet prototypes have completed 210 test flights and achieved supersonic speeds of up to Mach 1.4.
