Spain has signed a pact with Türkiye to import HURJET, the country's first indigenously developed jet trainer and light attack aircraft, manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc (TUSAS/TAI).
Turkish Deputy Defence Ministers Musa Heybet and Suay Alpay, Türkiye's Ambassador to Madrid Nuket Kucukel Ezberci, TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroglu, Spain's Director General of Defence Industrial Strategy and Innovation, and Air and Space Force Lieutenant General Miguel Ivorra, other officials attended the signing ceremony in Madrid on Wednesday.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) also includes plans to co-produce the aircraft's infrastructure in Spain.
“Today is a very important day. Today, Türkiye has once again demonstrated its strength in defence aviation to the entire world," Alpay said.
Emphasising that concrete steps were taken with a valuable product like HURJET rather than just slogans or expectations, he added: “A memorandum was signed here today, and the whole world witnessed it. This is just the beginning. We must proceed with care and sensitivity.”
Replacing ageing jet trainers
He noted that HURJET is a project developed with national resources and that he personally signed off on it. “This is truly a special and valuable day for Türkiye, Spain, and Europe. Evaluating global developments, everyone has already seen that Europe cannot proceed without Türkiye. Today’s agreement is a concrete sign of that. It should be seen as a signal flare."
“Without Türkiye, Europe's security is at risk and under threat. Everyone knows this very well," he said, stressing Türkiye's potential coming from its historical potential and responsibility.
Highlighting the critical nature of Spain being both a NATO and EU member, Alpay said this makes the HURJET agreement even more significant: “Today’s geopolitical conditions and developments have once again demonstrated how important and strong Türkiye’s position is in terms of its potential," he further said.
Türkiye's homegrown light attack jet, HURJET, seeks to replace ageing jet trainers and to be used as advanced jet trainers due to the increasing number of fifth-generation aircraft and their changing configurations.
The 13.6-metre long (44.6 feet) Hurjet has a wingspan of 9.5 metres (31 feet).
“Spain’s interest in our defence industry is clear, and we aim to expand this cooperation also within the EU framework,” Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Fuat Oktay says.
