Hurjet update from TAI GM Mehmet Demiroğlu, translated;
Question 1:
KAAN is clearly one of our flagship projects, but Hürjet has become a real focus of attention — both due to its high sortie count and continued flights with two prototypes. What's the latest there?
Answer:
Hürjet is currently flying with two prototypes, and we've logged nearly 200 sorties so far — and that number will only grow. The reason we brought it here is to keep those flight tests moving quickly. Hopefully, we'll soon get to see one of them — maybe even both — flying right here (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). The teams are working hard.
We're producing 16 aircraft for the Turkish Air Force, and I’d say serial production has essentially begun. We’re also expecting a significant follow-on order from the Air Force, hopefully finalized within this year.
Hürjet is also a strong export candidate — we’re in talks with various countries. Our goal is to see Hürjet adopted as NATO’s next-generation training aircraft. We’re doing everything we can to make that happen — and we’ll keep doing it.
Question 2:
Is there a target year for deliveries to the Turkish Air Force? And regarding carrier operations — is takeoff and landing from short-deck ships like TCG Anadolu being considered?
Answer:
Hürjet is going to be carrier-capable — that’s something planned for the second phase. We're already working closely with the Naval Forces on this. Whether it's TCG Anadolu or a future platform, that part is still being defined.
But we’ve already been working on carrier takeoff and landing capability for Hürjet. After we complete the initial deliveries, we’ll also be delivering the carrier-configured version to the Navy.
Question 3:
There’s been some chatter on social media: Are we facing any issues securing turbofan engines for KAAN or Hürjet right now?
Answer:
To put it simply — no, we’re not seeing any issues at the moment. As most people know, both aircraft currently use American-made engines — the F404 for Hürjet and the F110 for KAAN.
That said, we’ve already launched our own engine development project for KAAN. Under the coordination of the Defense Industry Agency, TR Motor and TEI are jointly working on it. God willing, by the early 2030s, we’ll be flying KAAN with our own indigenous engine.
As of now, we don’t foresee any supply problems with the existing engines.
Question 4:
There’s a defense expo in Spain this year — FEINDEF. Can we expect any big announcements about Hürjet? Should we be watching for a surprise?
Answer:
We’ll see — but yes, we’re also expecting that surprise sometime this year. Fingers crossed.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htd7DE66itQ
