According to information we have previously received, a delegation from the Spanish Air and Space Force, including pilots, was expected to visit TAI facilities in Ankara at the end of this month or in August to examine the HURJET on site. However, the fact that the HURJET will go directly to Spain came as a surprise to us. The top potential customers for HURJET include Azerbaijan, Spain and Canada. Negotiations between TAI and these countries are ongoing, and TAI aims to sell 100 HURJETs to the Turkish Air Force and 300 HURJETs to its international customers by the mid-2030s. According to sources who spoke to Defence Turkey, Spain is offering to pay for the procurement of 24 HURJETs by selling 6 A400Ms to the Turkish Air Force via Airbus (i.e. by barter). The Turkish Air Force has been working to increase the number of A400Ms in its inventory for some time, but additional purchases could not be made due to budget constraints.
The Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF), which has been searching for a next-generation jet trainer to replace the SF-5Ms produced under license by CASA since 2023, aims to add the next-generation jet trainer to its inventory by 2028. The HÜRJET is one of four candidates (Boeing T-7, KAI T-50 and Leonardo M-346) to replace the SASF’s aging SF-5M Freedom Fighter Jet Trainer Aircraft (designated AE.9). If selected, the HÜRJET New Generation Jet Trainer Aircraft will replace 19 Northrop SF-5Ms currently being used to train SASF pilot candidates on the EF-18M Hornet and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft at the 23rd Squadron (Ala 23) based at Talavera La Real Air Base in Badajoz. Spain had previously selected the Pilatus PC-21 (designated E.27) turboprop trainer aircraft to replace the C-101 Aviojets trainer aircraft, ordering a total of 40 aircraft in two batches (24 + 16 delivered between September 2021 and June 2022). The Integrated SASF Training System involves a two-stage training program in which pilots begin flying the PC-21 (replacing the T-35C Pillan and C-101 Aviojets) at San Javier Air Base, before moving on to advanced flight (on SF-5Ms) at Ala 23 in Talavera La Real. Therefore, if the HÜRJET, which promises innovative technologies and capabilities, is selected, the total number of aircraft from 24 has the potential to increase to 40.
Cadiz-based Spanish company Airtificial is among the foreign companies collaborating with TUSAŞ in the development phase of HÜRJET. Airtificial manufactures active and passive control arms (flight control levers) for HÜRJET. Airtificial announced on April 3, 2024 that it had signed a two-phase contract worth 4.8 million euros ($5.2 million) to manufacture control arms for mass-production HÜRJET aircraft.