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Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has entered its Hurjet advanced trainer aircraft in the competition to replace the U.S. Navy's aging T-45 Goshawk fleet, marking a significant bid for the Turkish defense industry in the American military market.
The U.S. Navy plans to rapidly replace its T-45 fleet with 145 new aircraft by 2028, according to TRT News' Bulgarian page. Hurjet faces competition from the M-346N (Textron/Leonardo), T-7 (Boeing/Saab), SNC Freedom, and TF-50N (KAI/Lockheed Martin).
The bid comes as Türkiye's defense exports reached $7.15 billion in 2024, a 29% increase from 2023, with Turkish companies now selling unmanned aerial vehicles and armored vehicles to 180 countries.
To ensure quick production and introduction, the U.S. Navy has reduced carrier-based operation requirements compared to the current T-45 Goshawk.
The service believes simulators and land-based facilities can provide similar proficiency levels before pilots transition to carrier-based aircraft.
Catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) capability, while providing significant pilot familiarity, adds substantial cost due to the immense stress on the airframe during takeoff and landing.
Carrier-based aircraft require sturdier construction and corrosion resistance compared to their air force counterparts, significantly increasing costs.
Hurjet has already secured its first export customer in Spain, which will invest €1.375 billion ($1.61 billion) to fund the development and introduction of 28 to 30 aircraft to replace the Spanish F-5BM fleet.
The aircraft is also competing for the United Kingdom's future trainer requirement alongside the TF-50 and T-7A.
"Hurjet is a high-tech aircraft that will be extremely useful for training pilots for sixth-generation aircraft," a TAI representative told TRT World on Wednesday during Teknofest, the aviation and technology festival in Istanbul.
Hurjet, which translates to "aircraft of freedom," combines efficiency with minimized costs for state-of-the-art avionics. The single-engine supersonic trainer and light combat aircraft performed its first flight in 2023 and is currently undergoing refinement.
"Everything except the engine is locally produced. The most important part is the design. We designed it entirely independently. We hope to have local engine production in the future," the company representative said.
The aircraft is evolving from a pure trainer into a multifunctional platform capable of providing close air support, air patrol, and limited strike missions in asymmetric conflicts.
"Many countries are showing interest in purchasing Hurjet for training young pilots," the TAI representative added, noting the aircraft's competitiveness against Western trainers like the Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk and South Korea's KAI T-50.
Türkiye's defense industry has achieved impressive self-sufficiency over the past two decades, with foreign dependency dropping from 80% to 20%.
The country's aerospace success extends beyond Hurjet. TAI exports two helicopter types: the T129 ATAK, a licensed variant of the Italian A129 Mangusta, significantly enhanced with Turkish avionics and weapons, and the indigenous T625 Gokbey multirole helicopter designed for high-altitude operations in severe conditions.
Between 2022 and 2024, Türkiye exported six T129 ATAK helicopters to the Philippines for counterinsurgency operations.
Nigeria also purchased six helicopters of the same model for operations against the Boko Haram.
The Hurjet's entry into the U.S. Navy competition represents a major opportunity for Turkish aerospace to penetrate the American defense market.
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