Spain inks deal to purchase 30 units of Turkish jet trainer HURJET

• Agreement is high-value-added, multi-dimensional defense industry export package that includes aircraft export, integrated training architecture for advanced combat pilot training, and other relevant support elements, Haluk Gorgun adds

ISTANBUL

Spain signed an agreement with Türkiye for purchasing 30 units of the Turkish jet trainer aircraft HURJET, worth €2.4 billion ($2.8 billion), the head of Türkiye's Defense Industries Secretariat announced on Monday.

Türkiye's first national jet trainer aircraft, HURJET, has achieved a historic export success for the country's defense industry by being officially chosen by the Spanish Air and Space Forces, Haluk Gorgun said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

He stressed that this step is a concrete demonstration of Türkiye's position as a trusted, preferred, and leading exporter in the defense industry.

Deliveries under the program are scheduled to begin in 2028, Gorgun said, adding: "This agreement is a high-value-added, multi-dimensional defense industry export package that includes the export of HURJET, an integrated training architecture covering advanced combat pilot training, ground-based simulation and training systems, maintenance and sustainment infrastructure, and long-term operational support elements."

The fact that a jet trainer aircraft designed and manufactured with domestic capabilities will be included in the inventory of a European and NATO member country clearly demonstrates the level Türkiye's defense industry has reached in the areas of design, production, system integration, certification, and sustainability, he underlined.

He added that with HURJET, Türkiye is becoming a structure that produces and exports high technology in the field of air platforms and has a say in the global market, while the Turkish defense industry exports are also reaching a new threshold in terms of quality and scale.

In May, Spain signed a pact with Türkiye to import HURJET, and it authorized in October the procurement of a new system for modern fighter pilot training featuring a customized version of the supersonic aircraft.

Türkiye's HURJET project began in August 2017, and the aircraft made its maiden flight in April 2023. Before that, the first completed component entered the final assembly line in June 2022, followed by ground tests that included landing gear trials, wiring checks, canopy mechanisms, and full avionics, electrical, and fuel system tests.