HÜRKUŞ-II Entered the Air Force Inventory
HÜRKUŞ-II, the New Generation Basic Training Aircraft developed by TAI, entered the inventory of the Turkish Air Force after the acceptance and delivery process.
Another important stage has been left behind for the Turkish defense and aerospace industry. HÜRKUŞ-II New Generation Basic Training Aircraft, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), was included in the Turkish Air Force inventory following the acceptance activities held today.
Within the scope of the delivery carried out at TAI's facilities in Kahramankazan, the first two HÜRKUŞ-II aircraft were delivered to the Air Forces Command. Thus, Turkey's new generation basic trainer aircraft program has moved from the development and testing phase to the serial delivery period.
First delivery in the program of 55 aircraft
The HÜRKUŞ-II program is carried out to meet the Turkish Air Force's need for a new generation basic training aircraft. Within the scope of the program, a total of 55 aircraft are planned to be added to the Air Force inventory.
Following the delivery of the first two aircraft, production and delivery activities are expected to continue throughout the remainder of the year. According to the current plan, it is aimed to deliver 10 more HÜRKUŞ-IIs by the end of 2026, and the remaining aircraft to be supplied to the Air Force by the end of 2028.
This schedule is important for HÜRKUŞ-II to become an active element of the Turkish Air Force's pilotage training infrastructure rather than just a prototype and test platform.
Approximately 300 sorties were carried out for HÜRKUŞ-II
A comprehensive development, testing, qualification and certification process was carried out before HÜRKUŞ-II entered the inventory.
The new generation platform made its first flight on December 29, 2024. In the following period, flight tests were carried out within the scope of development, certification and qualification activities. Within the scope of the project, approximately 300 sorties were conducted for 2,256 test points. Following these studies, HÜRKUŞ-II was entitled to receive a Military Type Certificate on September 9, 2026.
The certificate in question constituted one of the critical stages in the transition of HÜRKUŞ-II to operational use. According to the data announced by TAI, the certification process was carried out under 12 separate disciplines; A total of 1,790 certification requirements were verified, 950 evidence documents were technically examined, and a total of 153 certification tests were carried out, including 38 laboratory, 71 ground and 44 flight tests.
For Turkey, the process is important not only in terms of the certification of HÜRKUŞ-II, but also in terms of carrying out the process, which extends from the design of a domestic military air platform to testing and verification, from airworthiness to military type certification, with national human resources.
HÜRKUŞ-II will be at the starting point of the pilot training chain
The main mission of HÜRKUŞ-II is to be used in pilot training of the Turkish Air Force.
The platform will be an important step between pilot candidates developing their basic flight and piloting skills and moving on to more advanced training stages. In this respect, HÜRKUŞ-II will be one of the starting points of the training chain created by the Turkish Air Force for manned air platforms.
In the later stages of this chain, there is the jet engine training aircraft HÜRJET, and then the combat aircraft class KAAN. Therefore, the entry of HÜRKUŞ-II into the inventory is considered not only as the delivery of a new training aircraft, but also as a part of the process of supporting different stages of Turkey's manned military aviation ecosystem with domestic platforms.
HÜRKUŞ-II offers a different configuration than the first generation
HÜRKUŞ-II was developed in line with user feedback and operational needs obtained from previous configurations of the HÜRKUŞ family.
Various improvements have been made to the platform, especially in terms of flight performance, avionics infrastructure, ergonomics and operational use. According to the announced information, HÜRKUŞ-II has elements such as a 1,600 shaft horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68 turboprop engine, ejection seats, in-flight oxygen production system, canopy reinforced against bird strike and high shock absorbing landing gear.
On the cockpit side, improvements were made to meet pilot training needs. It is reported that HÜRKUŞ-II has been equipped with capabilities to be used in training activities within the scope of both visual and instrument flight rules.
It is not designed only as a training aircraft
Although the main mission of HÜRKUŞ-II is basic training, the mission concept of the platform is not limited to pilot training.
The design approach of the HÜRKUŞ family aims to create a platform that can be used in light attack and various operational missions as well as training missions. It is stated that HÜRKUŞ-II is considered as a platform that can be used in missions such as patrol, border security, armed reconnaissance, surveillance and close air support, depending on its configuration.
In this context, while the main usage area of HÜRKUŞ-II for the Turkish Air Force is pilot training, the multi-purpose structure of the platform may enable it to be evaluated in different mission concepts in the future.
Export target for HÜRKUŞ-II is also on the agenda
Another important dimension of the program is the export potential.
It is aimed to transfer the export experience gained with HÜRKUŞ's previous configurations to HÜRKUŞ-II. According to evaluations reflected in open sources, it is estimated that there is a need for more than 250 new generation basic training aircraft in the international market, in addition to the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces.
For this reason, the entry of HÜRKUŞ-II into the Turkish Air Force inventory also constitutes an important reference for the positioning of the platform in the international market. The fact that it will serve in the operational inventory of a local user will be one of the factors that can show the maturity level and usage experience of the platform in export negotiations.
Line extending from HÜRKUŞ-II to HÜRJET and KAAN
When Turkey's manned military aviation projects are evaluated together, HÜRKUŞ-II, HÜRJET and KAAN form a structure that complements each other.
HÜRKUŞ-II is being developed for use in basic flight and pilot training, HÜRJET for jet pilot training, and KAAN for combat missions. Within this structure, the entry of HÜRKUŞ-II into the inventory indicates a new stage in terms of the localization of manned platforms used in Turkey's pilot training process.
With HÜRKUŞ-II entering the inventory today, Turkey's new generation basic trainer aircraft project has become a platform to be used directly within the Turkish Air Force, rather than just a development program. It is expected that the deliveries to be made in the coming period and the use of the aircraft in training activities will contribute to further increasing the operational maturity of the platform.
