Turkish Aerospace has made a strong impact at the FEINDEF 25. The Turkish aerospace industry's commitment to introducing its new Hürjet advanced trainer to the Spanish market has been significant. Last year, rumours surfaced that Spain was interested in acquiring up to 24 Hürjet trainers, on December 20, 2024, Spain and Türkiye officials signed a memorandum of cooperation, formalizing the agreement for the first time.
In addition to the visit of the first prototype of the aircraft to Torrejón Air Base last year, and the visit of Chief of the Air Staff (JEMA) General Francisco Braco to Turkey, where he himself flew the aircraft, the Turkish industry as a whole has a significant presence at the Spanish defense trade fair.
Turkish Aerospace brought a full-scale model of the Hürjet advanced trainer to the fair, which was open to the public. This model was painted in the colours of the Spanish Air and Space Force, accurately displaying the registration number it would carry in Spanish service, AE.10-01, and bearing the number 231-01 (Wing 23), a clear commitment to presenting the model as the option chosen by the Spanish Ministry of Defense. A reduced-scale model of the aircraft with Spanish colours and the same numbering could also be seen at the Turkish Aerospace stand.
Sources at Turkish Aerospace confirmed Spain's interest in this advanced trainer as a replacement for the current F-5Ms, which, at the Talavera la Real base in Badajoz, train future fighter pilots. With the second prototype already flying and the interest of other countries (such as Egypt), Hürjet production could be completed within two years at the most. Likewise, the Turkish company presents its Hürjet as one element of an integrated training system that would include platform simulators, full simulators, and a comprehensive computer-assisted training system.
However, Spanish interest in this advanced trainer appears to be seeking some form of financial compensation, either through technology transfer, offsets, or by directly participating in the aircraft's construction, introducing the software and avionics changes necessary to adapt it to the fighters in which future pilots will fly. The fact that the Hürjet is still in the prototype phase could favour the development of specific systems for the Spanish Air and Space Force.
It is clear that, if Spanish industry were to participate in the development and/or production of the Hürjet, it would require some involvement in Airbus, and this is where the possible national participation remains to be determined.
The Hürjet's announced performance of reaching speeds of up to Mach 1.4 thanks to its F404-GE-102 afterburner turbofan engine, its wide g-s limits, and its aerobatic capability are quite well suited to current trends in advanced trainers, allowing it to also act as weapons trainers and even as light attack aircraft. There seems no doubt that Spain's commitment to the Hürjet is serious, awaiting its integration with other defense projects and greater project integration between both countries.
