WNAM REPORT: The “HÜRKUŞ First Delivery Ceremony” was held at TUSAŞ’s Kahramankazan facilities for the acceptance of the first HÜRKUŞ-II aircraft. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Presidency of Defence Industries, Haluk Görgün, as well as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TUSAŞ, Ömer Cihad Vardan, the General Manager of TUSAŞ, Mehmet Demiroğlu, the Commander of the Air Force, General Rafet Dalkıran, and other defense industry officials.
Speaking at the ceremony, Haluk Görgün stated that it was a historic day for Turkish aviation, and announced that the first two of the new generation HÜRKUŞ aircraft had been delivered to the Air Force Command.
Görgün emphasized that Türkiye had entrusted its own manned aircraft to its own pilot for the first time, and noted that they had conducted the final test flight of the aircraft, named after Vecihi Hürkuş, with the Air Force Commander approximately two weeks ago before delivery.
Görgün stated that he personally witnessed the improvement in the aircraft’s flight performance, saying, “Looking at the work that has been done, I can say with great confidence that we have created the best in the world in its class. We have combined engineering craftsmanship with the art of design.”
Architecture that will facilitate the transition to HÜRJET and KAAN.
Görgün pointed out that HÜRKUŞ’s cockpit and avionics architecture was designed in integration with other domestic air platforms such as HÜRJET and KAAN, and stated that when pilots switch to these platforms, they will see advanced versions of systems they are accustomed to, instead of a completely foreign architecture.
Görgün, recalling that the average age of the engineers involved in the project was 28 when it started, continued as follows:
“This young team, together with HÜRKUŞ, has created significant engineering expertise for Türkiye’s manned air platforms. We are transferring the design, development, testing, and integration experience we gained in HÜRKUŞ to HÜRJET and KAAN. In other words, the HÜRKUŞ project not only provided us with an aircraft, but also gave us an engineering capability that will enable us to accomplish greater goals. Just as important as designing and manufacturing an aircraft is being able to verify the safety and performance of the design you have created with your own capabilities. During the development process of HÜRKUŞ, we conducted approximately 23,000 hours of testing activities within the scope of ground, laboratory, and system integration studies. At the end of this process, on September 9th, we granted HÜRKUŞ military type certification according to international standards. Thus, in addition to designing and manufacturing, we have achieved the competence to test and certify our own aircraft.”
“A unique option in the international market”
Görgün pointed out that HÜRKUŞ is a versatile platform capable of performing light attack and close air support missions in addition to its basic training capabilities, emphasizing that this makes the aircraft a unique option in the international market.
Görgün stated that many countries from different parts of the world are interested in the aircraft, saying, “We know there is a need in the basic training aircraft market, encompassing hundreds of aircraft. While meeting our own needs, we can already say that we will be one of the main players in the world market. In addition to the value it holds for our defense, we have also signed a commercially sustainable project. We can already say that we will start sharing HÜRKUŞ export news with you very soon.”
“The number of aircraft to be supplied has been increased to 55.”
Görgün stated that the aircraft was produced with a localization rate approaching 80 percent, and that TUSAŞ, as the main contractor, brought the expertise of ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, TASECS, KAREL, ANDAR, TAAC, Fotoniks, Volt Teknoloji, Volo, UDEA, and other subcontractors to this platform.
Görgün stated that they will simultaneously carry out production for friendly and allied countries on the established lines, saying, “Every new order we receive means access to new markets for our partner companies. To a country that chooses HÜRKUŞ, we also offer the national systems that operate on it along with our aircraft. Thus, every export will return as profit to a wider segment of our defense industry. Today, we are producing HÜRKUŞ with a localization rate approaching 80 percent.”
Görgün stated that the fact that the subsystems and software are domestically produced facilitates the integration of national ammunition, and added the following:
“The two aircraft we delivered today will be followed by more according to the planned schedule. We started our procurement program with 15 aircraft, and we have increased it to a total of 55 aircraft with 40 additional aircraft. Hopefully, we will see HÜRKUŞ squadrons in the Turkish Air Force in 2027. We plan to add all 55 aircraft to the inventory of our Air Force by the end of 2028.”
Görgün emphasized that the defense industry ecosystem has entered a period of mass production and rapid delivery in many projects, and stated that in the coming period, they will rapidly add HÜRKUŞ aircraft, as well as air, land, and sea platforms, Steel Dome components, and missile systems to the inventory.
Görgün stated that Türkiye has become one of the few countries that can develop and mass produce air, land, and sea vehicles and ammunition in different classes with original designs, and thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is the architect of this transformation, as well as the Ministry of National Defense, the Air Force Command, TUSAŞ, and subcontractors for their contributions.
“A milestone in fixed-wing aircraft”
TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu stated that they set out with the motto of Vecihi Hürkuş, after whom the aircraft is named, “Those who try to fly with the wings of others cannot be Hürkuş,” and that reaching the capacity to be a wing for friendly and allied countries was not a coincidence.
Demiroğlu noted that this achievement was made possible thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s vision of a fully independent defense industry and the support of the Presidency of Defense Industry, and stated the following:“The HÜRKUŞ, which we delivered today, has not only written a successful story in its class, but has also become a milestone in our fixed-wing aircraft. The engineering knowledge and experience gained in this journey, from HÜRKUŞ to HÜRJET, from HÜRJET to KAAN, and from KAAN to even further advancements, has made our country one of the four leading countries in the world in this field. We are adding HÜRKUŞ, which has gained a new capability with the military type certification we recently received, to our inventory.”
“This will form the basis for the training processes of HÜRJET and KAAN.”
Air Force Commander General Rafet Dalkıran stated that they were rightfully proud that the Hürkuş, a new generation basic training aircraft developed with domestic and national capabilities, had been added to the Turkish Air Force inventory.
Drawing attention to the fact that the national aviation ideal put forward in the founding years has come to life in the sky today with the will of the state and the efforts of engineers, Dalkıran noted the following:
“HÜRKUŞ will undertake an important role in Turkish Air Force pilot training. With its modern avionics systems, high performance, and maneuverability, it will greatly contribute to improving the flight skills of our pilot candidates and meeting contemporary training needs within a long-term infrastructure. More importantly, by integrating with our domestically produced aircraft, primarily HÜRJET and KAAN, which will enter our inventory in the near future, it will form an important foundation for training and operational processes. HÜRKUŞ is not only a platform that meets today’s needs, but also a part of a strong vision that extends to the future of the Turkish Air Force.”the end of the program, the President of the Presidency of Defence Industries, Görgün, presented the HÜRKUŞ delivery document to the Commander of the Air Force, General Dalkıran. The program concluded with a flyover by the HÜRKUŞ aircraft.
