Turkey’s Jet Trainer And Light Attack Aircraft Hürjet Makes Its First Flight
Turkey’s domestic jet trainer and light attack aircraft Hürjet makes its first flight, reaching a significant milestone for the project. On Tuesday, April 25, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) flew the prototype of the Hürjet jet trainer and light assault aircraft for the first time. During the test, Hürjet, which stayed in the air for 26 minutes accompanied by an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft belonging to the Turkish Air Force, climbed to an altitude of 14,000ft and reached an airspeed of 250 knots. According to a statement issued by the Turkish Defense Industry Agency (SSB), all systems of the aircraft performed as anticipated during the test, and Hürjet successfully completed its maiden flight.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shared footage of the first flight of HÜRJET on his social media account, which took off from the Mürted Airfield Command at 07:35 (UTC+3) Turkish time. In his post, Erdogan said, “Our first domestic and national manned supersonic jet aircraft, HÜRJET, successfully performed its first flight. May it be a gift to the Century of Turkey.”
TAI launched the Hürjet project in 2017 to replace the Turkish Air Force’s T-38 jet trainers and F-5 aircraft used in aerobatic performances. The conceptual design of the project was successfully completed in April 2018, with preliminary design activities completed in July 2019 and critical design activities completed in February 2021. In January 2022, the company began production and assembly of the HÜRJET Project prototype aircraft. Then, the Turkish Defense Industry Executive Board (SSİK) decided to put Hürjet into mass production. Hürjet, whose first prototype was unveiled in December 2022, also carried out its first engine and taxi tests in recent months.
HÜRJET, whose testing and development will continue after its first flight, is anticipated to enter the Turkish Air Force inventory by 2025. The Turkish Air Force will receive 16 Hürjet aircraft in the first stage. Later on, Turkish Aerospace Industries aims to improve its production capacity and be able to provide two Hürjets to the air force every month.
According to TAI, the single engine and tandem cockpit Hürjet measures 13.6 meters in length, 9.5 meters in wingspan, and 4 meters in vertical tail height. It is capable of in-flight refueling, automated flight, a heads-up display, and has aircraft systems that are compatible with the pilot’s augmented reality helmet. The aircraft has 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 is a high-precision 20mm gun that was produced domestically.