Airbus and Turkish Aerospace sign agreement to pursue production of Hürjet for Spain
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) has successfully attracted Airbus to support the development and production of the Hürjet supersonic trainer jet.
The two companies and the Spanish government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during FEINDEF in Madrid, which aims to facilitate the sale of the Hürjet to the Spanish Air Force as a replacement for the aging F-5M.
The aircraft was developed in Turkey from 2017 with a single-engine configuration with tandem seating and advanced avionics, with an eye to being an alternative for air forces with veteran jets in service.
In the Turkish Air Force, the Hürjet is expected to replace Northrop’s T-38 Talon.
Full-size model with Spanish markings
According to the agreement, the aircraft will have part of its structure manufactured in Spain, thus paving the way for more orders within NATO and other countries.
“We believe that the aircraft will be a platform that other countries in the world can use for both training and light attack,” said Mehmet Demiroğlu, CEO of TUSAŞ.
The Turkish state-owned manufacturer brought to the exhibition a full-size model of the Hürjet with the livery of the Ejército del Aire, as the Spanish Air Force is called.
The Airbus division in the country itself had begun studies for an advanced trainer jet, the AFJT, but the project did not progress as expected.
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