The TAI Hürkuş (Free Bird) is a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

two-seat, low-wing, single-engine,

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

aircraft being produced by

Turkish Aerospace Industries Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (, TAI or TUSAŞ) is a state-owned Arms industry, arms company in Turkey. History On 16 August 1925 the Turkish Aircraft and Engine Limited Company ''()'' factory was founded in Kayseri, Turkey. The company ...

(TAI) as a trainer and ground attack aircraft for the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

. The aircraft is named after Vecihi Hürkuş, a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and Turkish Independence War veteran pilot, a Turkish aviation pioneer and the first Turkish airplane manufacturer.

Design and development

The TAI Hürkuş Development Program started with an agreement signed between Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSB) and TAI in March 2006. Under the agreement the company will design, manufacture and complete the civil certification the aircraft to

European Aviation Safety Agency The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...

(EASA) CS 23 standards. By June 2012 the Hürkuş program had consumed one million man-hours with the work of 140 engineers. About a quarter of the Turkish engineers who have worked on Hürkuş are female, as well as two of the three project heads. It is worth mentioning that, due to its strong resemblance to the Swiss Pilatus PC-21, this similarity has become something of an inside joke within the aviation community. The Hürkuş will be equipped for day and night flying as well as basic pilot training, instrument flying, navigation training, weapons and formation training. The aircraft will have good visibility from both cockpits with a 50 degree down-view angle from the rear cockpit,

cabin pressurization Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the aircraft cabin, cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for humans flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air i ...

(nominal 4.16 psid),

Martin-Baker Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited is a British manufacturer of ejection seats and safety-related equipment for aviation. The company was originally an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats. The comp ...

Mk T-16 N 0/0

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an exp ...

s, an onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS), an Environmental Control System (Vapor Cycle Cooling), an anti-G system, high shock absorbing

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...

for training missions, and Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS). Microtecnica of

Turin, Italy Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

has been selected to provide the aircraft's environmental control system. The Hürkuş has been designed for a 35-year

service life A product's service life is its period of use in service. Several related terms describe more precisely a product's life, from the point of manufacture, storage, and distribution, and eventual use. Service life has been defined as "a product' ...

. The Hürkuş development program has been subject to delays. In 2007 it was forecast that the first prototype would fly in late-2009 with first delivery, upon completion of the certification process, forecast for 2011. On 27 June 2012, the Hürkuş was officially rolled out at a ceremony held at TAI's Kazan premises. The forecast date for the first flight was then delayed until later in 2012 and actually occurred on 29 August 2013 when the aircraft flew from the Ankara Akıncı Air Base on a 33-minute flight. The Turkish government has indicated that the aircraft is expected to attract export sales, possibly from Middle Eastern countries, African countries or countries with limited air force budgets. According to a news report from

CNN Türk Cable News Network Türk (known as CNN Türk) is a Turkish free-to-air television news channel, launched on 11 October 1999 as the local affiliate of American channel CNN. It broadcasts exclusively for Turkey and it is owned by Demirören Grou ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

are interested in the aircraft. In 2016, the Hürkuş-A trainer aircraft was awarded a CS-23 Validation Type Certificate by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and an Aircraft Type Certificate by the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) The

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

has an order for 15 Hürkuş-B aircraft plus an option for 40 more. Deliveries are scheduled for mid 2017 In February 2017, photos were released by the Turkish MoD showing the prototype for armed version, the Hürkuş-C. TAI developed Hürkuş 2, which is a modified, lighter and improved version of Hürkuş aircraft. The first prototypes are on the assembly line and are expected to appear in 2025 and make their first flight. Deliveries are expected to begin soon after, in the same yea

Turkish Aerospace announced that the Hürkuş-2 aircraft, had completed its first flight with 6,500 feet altitude, 140-knot speed, 20 minutes of flight time.

Variants

Hürkuş-1/Hürkuş-2

;Hürkuş-A :Basic version which has been certified with

EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...

according to CS-23 requirements. It is intended for the civilian market. :In 2016, the Hürkuş-A trainer aircraft was awarded a CS-23 Validation Type Certificate by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and an Aircraft Type Certificate by the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). ;Hürkuş-B :Advanced version with integrated avionics (including HUD, MFDs, and Mission Computer). Cockpit avionics layout is similar to F-16 and F-35 fighters. The

has an order for 15 aircraft plus an option for 40 more. Deliveries are scheduled for mid 2017. ;Hürkuş-C :An armed version for the close air support role in addition to pilot training missions, will have a maximum weapons load of 3,300lb (1,500kg) and also carry a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor. It will be capable of operating from unprepared runways. The Turkish Army has expressed interest in using the aircraft in counter-terrorism environments and is expected to attract export orders. The main advantage will be to lower the cost of air power, especially in low-intensity combat theatres where anti-air warfare threats are minimal. :In February 2017, photos were released by the Turkish MoD, showing the Hürkuş-C prototype carrying Roketsan

UMTAS UMTAS or Mizrak-U ''(Uzun Menzilli Tanksavar Sistemi)'' is a modern long range air-to-surface anti-tank guided missile developed by Turkish armor and missile manufacturer Roketsan. Background The UMTAS program was begun in late 2003 by Turkey ...

anti-tank guided missiles, Roketsan

Cirit Jereed, known by the name Equestrian Javelin (also jerreed, jerid, or jerrid; ) is a traditional Turkish equestrian team sport played outdoors on horseback in which the objective is to score points by throwing a blunt wooden javelin, or stick, at ...

laser-guided rockets, an electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) pod (likely the Aselsan Common Aperture Targeting System or CATS), and external fuel tanks. :The

are scheduled to receive deliveries in 2018. :On 7 April 2017, a Hürkuş-C fired a Roketsan L-UMTAS anti-tank missile that successfully hit the target on the ground. ;Coast Guard version :TAI plans to offer another version of the Hürkuş to support the Turkish Coast Guard's maritime patrol operations. The aircraft's rear seat would be occupied by an operator for a FLIR sensor using an ASELSAN

FLIR Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation. The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...

system. ;Hürkuş-C UAS :An unmanned version of the Hurkus-C Counter-Insurgency Aircraft being developed for the Turkish Armed Forces.

Operators

Current operators

; *

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

– 55 Hürkuş-B on order. 15 Hürkuş-II will be delivered in 2025. ; *

Libyan Air Force The Libyan Air Force () is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat-capable ai ...

- Hürkuş-C On order. ; * Niger Air Force – 2 Hürkuş-B in service. *

Chadian Air Force The Chadian Air Force () is the aviation branch of the Chad National Army. It was formed in 1961 as the Chadian National Flight/Squadron ( or ENT). The force shared a base with French forces at N'Djamena International Airport until Jan 25 when ...

- 3 Hürkuş-C in service.

Future operators

Turkish Land Forces The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the foun ...

- 24 Hürkuş-C planned *

Gendarmerie General Command The Gendarmerie General Command () is the national gendarmerie force of the Republic of Turkey. It is a service branch of the Turkish Ministry of Interior responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdi ...

- Planned acquisition of Hürkuş-C.

Specifications (Hürkuş)

References

External links

Official website

TAI Hürkuş roll-out video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai Hurkus Hurkus 2010s Turkish military trainer aircraft Counter-insurgency aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined turboprop aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2013 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear