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A pivotal agreement that could pave the way for Türkiye's first national jet trainer and light attack aircraft to enter NATO and global markets was signed in Spain, marking a significant milestone for Turkish aerospace ambitions.
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Airbus, and the Spanish Ministry of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding that enables the potential sale of Hurjet aircraft to Spain and establishes joint infrastructure production in the country.
TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroglu described the agreement as "forming an important milestone in the steps we planned to take in the Hurjet project." He explained that the agreement determines what kind of industrial cooperation will be carried out, which companies will contribute products to the Hurjet configuration produced for Spain, and initiates the process of working together.
Demiroglu emphasized the unprecedented nature of the deal, stating, "Looking at it from TAI and Türkiye's perspective, this is the first agreement at this level. Because what we're talking about is providing a jet training aircraft produced in Türkiye for use by a NATO country and placing some of its subsystems in that country, again together with us."
The TAI general manager noted that with this agreement, the companies will accelerate their technical work. "Until now, we did the installation for Hurjet in Türkiye, but now we will do it in Spain. This is a very important agreement with high potential for us. Because once we succeed at this point, many other doors will open—not just for NATO," he said.
Demiroglu expressed confidence in the platform's prospects: "We believe this platform will be one that other countries around the world can use both for training and for light attack purposes. It will fill a serious gap. We are very hopeful, proud, and will continue working."
Describing Hurjet as "a platform we have great confidence in and are hopeful about," the TAI general manager added, "It's an advanced training jet and really fills a serious gap. It's an ideal training aircraft for both the Turkish Air Force and NATO, and it will have different configurations. We think Hurjet is a very nice and useful product not only for NATO countries but also for other countries, and it's a very ideal aircraft for both training and light attack missions."
The multi-dimensional agreement could potentially open doors for other Turkish industrial and security products, particularly in terms of building trust. Demiroglu explained, "When we sell a platform, we sell the entire ecosystem. We work with hundreds of companies for the structural and infrastructure production of the aircraft. The range expands very seriously. We sell a product together. When you enter a market with one product, you open the door for other products as well."
He added that this could potentially open doors for their other products across land, sea and air domains, including helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and possibly even the KAAN fighter jet. "Because as they use it and see the service, trust begins, and this brings preference," Demiroglu said.
The announcement came during Türkiye's first national participation at the fourth International Defense and Security Fair (FEINDEF) in Madrid, which TAI was attending for the first time.
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