Turkish Aerospace Is Working on a Naval HURJET, Eyeing the NATO Training Market
Turkish Aerospace (TA) says it is developing a maritime derivative of its HURJET jet trainer. Speaking at the TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland naval event in Kocaeli on 20 August 2026, TA chief executive Mehmet Demiroglu said the work is still at an early stage and that a navalised aircraft would need a more powerful engine than the current model.
At a Glance
- What was announced: A maritime variant of the HURJET jet trainer is under development.
- Who said it: Turkish Aerospace CEO Mehmet Demiroglu.
- Where: TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, Kocaeli, Turkey — 20 August 2026.
- Status label: Official statement, but the project is in early development. No production programme or order has been announced.
- Engineering driver: Maritime operating profiles demand more thrust than the baseline aircraft delivers.
- Production: Six airframes in the pipeline; two flying, four in assembly. Three more first flights are expected before the end of 2026.
- Exports: Spain signed in April 2026 with deliveries in 2028. Talks with the United Kingdom have run for roughly a year.
- Home fleet: Turkish Air Force deliveries are expected by the end of 2027.
Background
HURJET is a single-engine, tandem-seat advanced jet trainer that can also be configured for light attack. Within the Turkish Air Force it is positioned as the replacement for the long-serving T-38 fleet, and as the bridge trainer for pilots who will move on to the fifth-generation KAAN fighter.
The export campaign took its first concrete step in April 2026, when Spain signed a contract with deliveries scheduled for 2028. Demiroglu said discussions with the United Kingdom about its trainer requirement have been running for close to a year. The company’s pitch is less about individual national sales and more about positioning HURJET as a common NATO training platform.
A naval variant fits that pitch. Carrier or sea-based training and mission profiles impose harder landing loads, salt-air corrosion protection, structural reinforcement of the landing gear and airframe, and — almost always — more installed thrust. Demiroglu’s remark that “maritime operating conditions are significantly more demanding than land-based operations” points directly at that engineering bill. It is a roadmap signal rather than a product launch.
At the same event, TA reiterated the KAAN timeline: prototype flying continues, deliveries are planned for the end of 2028, early batches will fly with General Electric F110 engines, and the indigenous TF35000 powerplant is targeted for 2030.
Why It Matters
A navalised HURJET would intersect directly with Turkey’s aviation-ship ambitions. TCG Anadolu is being configured around uncrewed aircraft, and follow-on plans for a larger-displacement ship keep resurfacing. Any move in that direction eventually creates a fixed-wing training and mission requirement that Ankara would prefer to fill domestically rather than through export-controlled foreign supply.
For the export market, the significance is different. HURJET pushes Turkish industry beyond the uncrewed systems that have defined its recent reputation and into crewed combat aircraft. The Spanish contract matters as a reference — a NATO member taking a Turkish jet trainer into service. If the UK discussions convert, that reference becomes considerably stronger. A naval derivative would open a second door: allied navies that operate carriers and need a trainer able to work from them.
FAQ
Is there an order for the naval version?
No. What was disclosed is early-stage development work. No contract or order has been announced.
Why does it need a different engine?
Maritime profiles require higher thrust, shorter take-off performance and heavier structural reinforcement — all of which push up the power requirement.
Which countries have ordered HURJET?
Spain is the only announced export customer, with a contract signed in April 2026 and deliveries from 2028.
When does the Turkish Air Force receive its aircraft?
First deliveries are expected by the end of 2027.
Sources
- Breaking Defense — “Turkish Aerospace plans naval version of Hurjet as it eyes expanded NATO exports”, 20 August 2026
- Remarks by Turkish Aerospace CEO Mehmet Demiroglu at TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, Kocaeli, 20 August 2026
