What Is TUSAŞ HÜRKUŞ? The Turboprop Trainer That Became Turkey’s Gateway to European Certification

On July 11, 2016, HÜRKUŞ became the first Turkish-made aircraft to receive a type certificate from Turkish aviation authorities — and subsequently the first to earn EASA validation, opening the door to European airworthiness recognition. Developed by TUSAŞ as an advanced turboprop trainer to replace aging Cessna T-41 and older trainers, HÜRKUŞ has logged approximately 3,200 flight hours across more than 1,500 sorties, establishing an operational record that underpins Turkey’s export pitch to international air forces.

Technical Specifications

Building the Training Pipeline

Modern air forces build pilot competency through a carefully sequenced pipeline. The jump from basic trainers to high-performance jet fighters is one of the most hazardous transitions in aviation — and it is where many training accidents occur. HÜRKUŞ is engineered to bridge that gap methodically: its PT6A-68T turboprop produces 1,600 shaft horsepower, enough to introduce trainees to turbine power management and high-performance handling before they step into a supersonic jet. The +7G structural limit trains the body and reflex systems for the physiological demands they will face in an F-16 or eventually a KAAN.

Safety systems match the airframe’s performance demands: Martin-Baker MK T16N ejection seats, an onboard oxygen generation system, an anti-G suit integration, and a flight simulator compatible with the same avionics architecture keep the training continuum consistent from simulator to aircraft and back.

EASA Certification: Why It Matters for Export

Many of the countries Turkey is targeting for HÜRKUŞ exports require EASA-validated airworthiness certification as a baseline procurement requirement. Achieving that validation early in the programme’s life — rather than as an afterthought — removed a significant barrier to market entry. For nations shopping for a Tucano or PC-9 replacement, HÜRKUŞ can now sit alongside established European competitors with equivalent credentialing, at a price point that reflects Turkey’s cost advantages in manufacturing and programme management.

The Next Batch

A contract modification signed in May 2021 added 15 improved-specification airframes for delivery targeting 2025. The iterative nature of that contract structure reflects confidence on the customer side — not a one-and-done procurement but a rolling relationship between the Turkish Air Force and TUSAŞ that mirrors the kind of lifecycle partnership that defines mature defence-industrial relationships. HÜRKUŞ is not a programme that has peaked; it is a production line with a future.