Spain signs 2.6 bln euro deal for Türkiye's Hürjet aircraft

ANKARA

Spain has signed an agreement to buy 30 units of Türkiye’s first domestically developed jet trainer aircraft, the Hürjet, in a 2.6 billion euro deal that Turkish defense industry chief Haluk Görgün said would mark one of the country’s largest-ever aviation exports.

Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), said in a social media statement that deliveries are planned to begin in 2028.

Görgün said the package goes beyond the aircraft sale, covering an integrated training architecture for advanced combat pilot training, ground-based simulation and training systems, maintenance and sustainment infrastructure and long-term operational support.

He said Hürjet’s entry into the inventory of a European and NATO member would underline the level Türkiye’s defense industry has reached in design, production, system integration, certification and sustainability.

He added that with Hürjet, 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.

Spain has been moving toward a Hürjet-based training overhaul for months. In May, Spain signed a pact with Türkiye on importing the aircraft, and in October, it authorized the procurement of a new fighter pilot training system featuring a customized version of the supersonic jet.

The Hürjet project began in 2017 and the aircraft made its maiden flight in April 2023.