Tolga Yanik and Gokhan Ergocun
24 July 2025•Update: 24 July 2025
ISTANBUL
A partnership agreement between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Airbus to accelerate the export of the Türkiye's jet trainer Hurjet was signed at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025.
The agreement clarified the roles of the two companies in the Hurjet project and formalized the partnership between TAI and Airbus in Spain's jet trainer aircraft procurement process.
With the new agreement, the aim is to accelerate the process of incorporating the HÜRJET into the Spanish Air Force inventory.
The 17th edition of the six-day defense fair IDEF, starting on Tuesday, is being held simultaneously at the Istanbul Fair Center, Ataturk Airport, Wow Hotel, and Atakoy Marina.
The event, organized by KFA Fairs with support from Türkiye's Defense Industries Secretariat (SSB) and the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, has Anadolu as its global communication partner.
With this collaboration between TAI and Airbus, the details regarding the export of Hurjet were also clarified; it was decided to supply up to 30 Hurjets to meet Spain's jet trainer aircraft needs.
The final sales contract is expected to be signed by the end of the year. Deliveries of Hurjets are planned to begin in 2028.
With this strategic step, TAI and Airbus aim to establish a strong and sustainable cooperation in the European defense industry.
The long-term strategic partnership between TAI and Airbus is considered an important step not only for the Hurjet project but also for deepening cooperation between the two countries in the fields of defense and aviation.
The signing ceremony, attended by Haluk Gorgun, President of Türkiye's Secretariat of Defense Industries, was also attended by senior executives from both companies.
TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroglu stated that with the engineering power of TAI, they have overcome another important milestone in the European journey of Hurjet, which they have brought to the skies.
Pointing out that this strategic partnership with a global player like Airbus is not just an export success, he said: “It is also a testament to the technological level that the Turkish aviation industry has reached worldwide.”
He noted that the Hurjet's upcoming flights over Spanish skies once again demonstrate the competitive strength of the Turkish defense industry on the international stage, adding: “We believe that this agreement will further deepen defense industry cooperation between the two countries and pave the way for Turkish engineering to play a greater role in Europe's future aviation projects.”
- Training pilots for 5th generation fighter jets
Thanks to its high performance and advanced avionics capabilities, Hurjet plays a critical role in training pilots for fifth generation fighter jets.
Designed with a user interface aimed at minimizing the transition period to fifth generation fighter jets, Hurjet, a supersonic advanced jet trainer, will replace outdated training aircraft and serve as an ideal training solution to prepare young pilots for the challenges of modern fighter jets.
Having completed over 210 flights to date and surpassing the speed of sound to reach supersonic speeds, the Hurjet aims to achieve a maximum speed of 1.4 Mach.
The state-of-the-art Hurjet Training 360 System stands out with its connected training architecture, which combines an Embedded Training System with Ground-Based Training Systems, elevating the Hurjet to a superior level of training efficiency.
Its smart single-engine configuration enables lower fuel consumption, easier and faster maintenance, and reduced use of spare parts.
