TSAMTO, July 1. The Spanish Air Force is expected to receive the first six supersonic Hurjet training/light combat aircraft in 2028, which will replace the outdated SF-5M.
As reported by Defensa.com This was announced on June 27 by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, speaking before the defense committee of the country's Senate.
In her speech, M. Robles stressed the importance of joint development of the aircraft with the Turkish side, focusing in detail on the platform itself and the ground training system, as well as on the participation of enterprises of the national defense industry in the program.
M.Robles specified that 1.375 billion will be invested in the project for the purchase of 28 to 30 training aircraft. euro. The ground segment of the program will consist of a ground-based training system (GBTS), new simulators and digital training systems.
The minister specified that the first six aircraft will be received in 2028, and another 12 units during 2029. These aircraft will be integrated into the GBTS training system in 2031. The new platforms will be "Spanish" with initial modifications that can be implemented at the moment. Delivery of the remaining aircraft, including agreed more advanced modifications, is scheduled for 2030-2031.
Recall that the Spanish Ministry of Defense has officially begun selecting a new jet training aircraft for advanced flight training for the country's Air Force in 2021.
It was reported that the new TCB advanced flight training will be purchased in two stages (30 and 25 units each) and will replace the outdated CASA-101EB and SF-5M, which are planned to be gradually decommissioned from September 2021 and early 2028, respectively.
The new integrated learning system will use modern technologies, a virtual environment and artificial intelligence. The tasks of basic flight training will be performed by the Pilatus PC-21 TCB purchased in 2020, and in–depth flight training will be performed by the new TCB/UBS purchased as part of the tender.
During a stream on January 20, 2021, a representative of the Spanish Air Force announced his intention to participate in the competition between Airbus with the promising AFJT TCB (Airbus Future Jet Trainer) and the Leonardo Group with the M-346 Master.
In July 2024, it became known that the supersonic training/light combat aircraft Hurjet from Turkish Aerospace would also participate in the tender organized by the Spanish Air Force. The prototype aircraft arrived at the Torrejon Air Base (Madrid), where it was evaluated by pilots and experts of the Spanish Air Force.
Some Turkish media speculated at the time that negotiations could potentially be held aimed at selling 24 Hurjet aircraft to the Spanish Air Force in exchange for Turkey's purchase of six A-400M military transport aircraft in addition to the 10 vehicles of this type previously purchased.
Later it became known that in addition to Hurjet, four applicants were selected to participate in the tender procedure, including the T-7A Red Hawk from the American-Swedish company Boeing/Saab, the T-50 from the South Korean company Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the M-346 from the Italian Leonardo group.
A memorandum of understanding concerning the joint development of a new improved TCB/UBS for the Spanish Air Force was signed by the Spanish Ministry of Defense and the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate (SSB) on December 20, 2024.
It was reported that the prototype of the UTS/UBS Hurjet will be finalized by Spanish and Turkish companies jointly and purchased for the Air Forces of both countries also jointly. Most likely, the aircraft will be assembled in Spain.
According to information Defensa.com The memorandum was signed by 16 Spanish companies: Aciturri, Aernova, Aertec, Airbus, Airtificial, Ampere, Centum, Cesa, Clue, GMV, Grabysur, Indra, ITP, Grupo Oesia, Orbital and SENER.
During the International Defense and Security Exhibition (FEINDEF-2025) in Madrid on May 14, 2025, Airbus and Turkish Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding providing for the joint production of Hurjet components in Spain, the development of the local aerospace industry and the promotion of technology exchange between the two countries. Airbus will act as the national industry coordinator of the project.
Although the memorandums of understanding confirm the purchase intentions and industrial cooperation, the purchase and sale agreement has not yet been signed. The final approval of the procurement and the signing of the contract is expected in the coming months.
The length of the Hurjet is 13.4 m, the wingspan is 9.5 m, the height is 6.1 m. The aircraft is equipped with a General Electric F404–GE–102 engine, the estimated maximum speed is 1.4 M, the practical ceiling will be 45,000 ft (13.7 km), the maximum flight range will exceed 2,222 km. The UBS will be able to carry up to 2,720 kg of payload, including ammunition, radar and detection equipment.
