Turkish Air Force receives first two of 55 Hürkuş-II trainers
Turkey's air force has taken delivery of the first two Tai Hürkuş-II trainer aircraft from an order of 55. It is the first domestically developed aircraft to receive a military type certificate from the NATO member.
The Turkish Air Force has taken the first two of 55 Tai Hürkuş-II training aircraft it has ordered, roughly two years after the type's first flight. The handover was marked at Turkish Aerospace facilities in Ankara on 28 September 2026.
Twelve of the aircraft are due to be delivered to the air force before the end of this year. From 2027, two more trainers are to be handed over each month.
The Hürkuş-II is a single-engine, two-seat turboprop designed for basic and advanced military training. Its powerplant, a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68T, comes from Canada. According to reporting by the defence analysts at Janes, the aircraft has modern avionics and high manoeuvrability, reaching a top speed of 320 knots (around 593 km/h) and a service ceiling of 30,000 feet (about 9,144 metres). It is a little over eleven metres long.
The type sits at the stage before pilots move on to the Hürjet jet trainer and, over the longer term, to combat aircraft such as the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Tai TF KAAN stealth fighter, which has flown but remains in development. It is the first aircraft developed in Turkey for which the NATO member has issued a military type certificate.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comTürkische Luftwaffe erhält erste Trainingsflieger aus heimischer Produktion