Turkey Unveils The First Prototype of the HURJET Jet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft
The first prototype of Hürjet, the jet aircraft developed by Turkey’s largest aviation manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for pilot training and light attack missions, was unveiled last week at the company’s Ankara headquarters. The aircraft prototype had not yet been integrated with its engines. The aircraft, whose engines are expected to be integrated in the coming months, will begin ground tests before taking to the skies for the first time in 2023. Meanwhile, work on the second and third prototypes of the HURJET will continue. Two of the three prototype aircraft built as part of the Hürjet development program will be used for flight tests, while the third will be used for static testing.
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) launched the HURJET project in 2017 to replace the Turkish Air Force’s T-38 jet trainers and the F-5 aircraft used in aerobatic demonstrations. The project’s conceptual design was successfully completed in April 2018, with preliminary design activities completed in July 2019 and critical design activities completed in February 2021. Apart from its pilot training mission, it was decided during this process that an armed variant of HÜRJET called HÜRJET-C will be developed to be used in missions such as light attack, close air support, border security, and counter-terrorism. The production and assembly of the HÜRJET Project’s prototype aircraft began in January. Following that, the Turkish Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) decided to put Hürjet into mass production.
Hürjet, which is scheduled to make its first flight on March 18, 2023, as part of the project, is set to enter service in the middle of 2025. The Turkish Air Force will receive 16 Hürjet aircraft in the first stage. Later on, Turkish Aerospace Industries aims to expand its production capacity and be able to deliver two Hürjets to the air force every month. TAI is also working on the deployment of Hürjet on the TCG ANADOLU (L400) Amphibious Assault Ship, which will enter service in the first months of 2023 as the Turkish Navy’s flagship.
According to TAI, the single engine and tandem cockpit Hürjet will measure 13.6 meters in length, 9.5 meters in wingspan, and 4 meters in vertical tail height. It will be capable of in-flight refueling, automated flight, a heads-up display, and aircraft systems that are compatible with the pilot’s augmented reality helmet. The aircraft will have a top speed of Mach 1.4, a range of 2,592 kilometers, and the capability to fly at heights of up to 14 thousand meters. Hürjet’s armed variant features seven weapon stations. The Hürjet is designed to be able to carry virtually all domestically developed air-deployed missiles and bombs, including Gökdoğan and SOM, with three weapon stations on each of the wings and one under the fuselage. Also on board will be a high-precision 20mm gun that was produced domestically.