HÜRKUŞ Deliveries Explained: How Many for the Air Force, and Which Countries Operate It?

HÜRKUŞ is a single-engine turboprop aircraft developed primarily to train new pilots on an indigenous platform. Its tandem two-seat cockpit, modern avionics and glass cockpit make it an ideal stepping stone before jet trainers.

The armed HÜRKUŞ-C variant can perform light attack, close air support, reconnaissance and border security at low cost. This versatility makes HÜRKUŞ a family combining training and operational needs on a single platform.

HÜRKUŞ’s main operator is the Turkish Air Force Command. The armed HÜRKUŞ-C first entered operational use through exports.

The Turkish Air Force currently fields 18 HÜRKUŞ-B trainers. Under the contract with the defense authority, 55 HÜRKUŞ-B are planned in total.

Per the schedule, the first 15 aircraft are to be delivered in 2025 and the remaining 40 by 2027, largely shifting the Air Force’s basic pilot-training fleet to an indigenous platform.

HÜRKUŞ became one of the early export successes among Turkish aircraft. The armed HÜRKUŞ-C’s first foreign operator is Niger, with a 2021 agreement for 6 aircraft. Chad received 3 HÜRKUŞ (with 2 ANKA), and Libya is also a HÜRKUŞ operator.

These exports highlighted HÜRKUŞ as a versatile platform that, with low operating cost, also meets light-attack needs — and much of the first production batch was exported.

The prime contractor is TUSAŞ. HÜRKUŞ lets Türkiye build its pilot-training infrastructure with indigenous means, reducing external dependence.

The engineering experience from HÜRKUŞ also paved the way for the HÜRJET jet trainer and other indigenous aircraft projects, making HÜRKUŞ a

HÜRKUŞ-C’s weapon integration brings Türkiye’s indigenous smart munitions and guided rockets into the export package, so the aircraft and its munitions can be offered together.

Meeting the Air Force’s basic-training need with an indigenous aircraft also nationalizes the first link of the pilot-training chain that extends to the HÜRJET jet trainer and the KAAN fighter.

An improved HÜRKUŞ variant reportedly on the agenda further strengthens the program’s long-term sustainability and export potential.

HÜRKUŞ was designed to replace the foreign-built basic trainers the Turkish Air Force operated for decades. Indigenous production means maintenance, spare-parts supply and avionics upgrades can be done in-country without relying on third parties. This lowers costs and raises operational readiness; because uninterrupted operation of the training fleet directly affects the pace of pilot production, it is a critical advantage.

The armed HÜRKUŞ-C variant offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive combat jets, especially in low- and medium-intensity conflict environments. Able to perform close air support, border patrol and precision strike at a far lower cost per hour, it is an attractive option for budget-constrained air forces — a key driver of HÜRKUŞ-C’s export success in African and Middle Eastern markets.

On the export side, HÜRKUŞ is offered not as a bare platform sale but as an integrated package including training, logistics support, simulators and munitions. This approach builds long-term relationships with buyer nations and opens the door to follow-on orders. Niger, Chad and Libya show Türkiye becoming a lasting supplier in these markets.

The program also served as a school for Türkiye’s aircraft-development ecosystem. The design, certification and serial-production experience gained on HÜRKUŞ fed directly into more complex projects such as the HÜRJET jet trainer and the KAAN fighter, making HÜRKUŞ less a single aircraft than the starting point of a body of capability.

Once the planned 55-aircraft delivery to the Air Force is complete, Türkiye’s basic pilot training will run largely on an indigenous platform. That means a sustainable training infrastructure independent of restrictions a foreign supplier might impose, strengthening the long-term planning of national air power.

cornerstone of Türkiye’s aircraft-development capability.

HÜRKUŞ made its first prototype flight on 29 August 2013.

A total of 55 HÜRKUŞ-B are planned under contract; 18 are currently in inventory.

The armed HÜRKUŞ-C was first exported to Niger; Chad and Libya are also operators.

HÜRKUŞ-C is the armed mission variant capable of light attack, close air support, reconnaissance and border security.

HÜRKUŞ has a tandem two-seat cockpit.

HÜRKUŞ is produced by TUSAŞ.