TUSAŞ has delivered the first two new-generation HÜRKUŞ-II aircraft to the Turkish Air Force after the program received a military type certificate according to international standards on September 9. Türkiye plans to bring 55 aircraft into service by the end of 2028, with HÜRKUŞ squadrons appearing in 2027.
TUSAŞ delivered the first two HÜRKUŞ-II aircraft to the Turkish Air Force during a ceremony held at the company’s facilities in the city of Kahramankazan, in a step that moves the program from the development and testing phase to actual military use. Haluk Görgün, president of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defense Industries, said the procurement program, which began with 15 aircraft, was expanded by adding 40 aircraft, bringing the total to 55 aircraft.
According to the announced plan, HÜRKUŞ squadrons will appear in the Turkish Air Force during 2027, with all 55 aircraft to be added to the inventory by the end of 2028. The source did not specify a detailed schedule for delivering subsequent batches, apart from indicating that deliveries would continue according to the planned schedule.
A Training Platform Linked to Türkiye’s Aircraft Series
HÜRKUŞ was designed to undertake basic training missions, while also being capable of performing light-attack and close-air-support missions. According to Görgün, the cockpit architecture and avionics were developed to achieve integration with the HÜRJET and KAAN platforms, allowing pilots to later transition to systems that are familiar in concept, though more advanced.
Turkish Air Force Commander General Rafet Dalkıran said the aircraft would play an important role in training pilots and would provide a foundation for training and operational activities associated with domestically produced aircraft that will enter service in the future, foremost among them HÜRJET and KAAN.
Testing and Certification Before Delivery
The Presidency of Defense Industries stated that development work included approximately 23,000 hours of ground, laboratory, and systems-integration testing. On September 9, HÜRKUŞ received a military type certificate according to international standards, a step that precedes the aircraft’s entry into service and demonstrates the program’s ability, according to the statements cited in the report, to design, test, and certify the aircraft domestically.
The share of locally produced components is approaching 80%, with TUSAŞ participating as the main contractor alongside ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, TASECS, KAREL, ANDAR, TAAC, Fotoniks, Volt Teknoloji, Volo, and UDEA, in addition to other subcontractors. It was also stated that the domestic production of subsystems and software facilitates the integration of national munitions, without the source providing details about the types of munitions or the aircraft’s operational configurations.
What Is Changing in Practice?
The practical significance of the delivery is not limited to adding a training aircraft to Türkiye’s inventory. The program links the pilot-training phase to a broader system of domestically produced aircraft and provides the Air Force with a platform expected to support basic training and some light-combat missions. It also provides a production line capable of meeting domestic demand, while Türkiye has announced its intention to produce aircraft in parallel for friendly and allied countries.
Görgün spoke of interest from several countries and a market encompassing requirements for hundreds of basic training aircraft, but he did not announce any specific export contracts in the report. Therefore, the commercial promises and external expansion remain announced objectives, rather than completed contractual outcomes so far.