Türkiye enters era of domestically produced aircraft in Air Force

Türkiye's new-generation basic trainer aircraft Hürkuş-II is preparing to enter the Turkish Air Force's inventory, marking the beginning of a new era for the country's military aviation.

Haluk Görgün, head of Türkiye's Defense Industries Secretariat, and Turkish Air Force Commander Gen. Rafet Dalkıran participated in flights aboard the domestically developed Hürkuş-II and Hürjet aircraft.

Görgün said Türkiye's first Hürkuş-II aircraft would be delivered to the Air Force Command shortly.

"When you sit in an aircraft's cockpit, you feel much more closely the immense effort extending from the design table to the production line, and from testing to flight," he said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"Now, this effort is about to yield another result. We will deliver our first Hürkuş-II aircraft to our Air Force Command very soon," he added.

In a video shared after the flight, Görgün described the impending delivery as a milestone for Türkiye.

"For the first time, Türkiye is delivering a domestically produced aircraft to its own armed forces. It was very, very meaningful," he said.

"These were also the final tests today. Being part of these final tests was an additional source of pride for us."

Dalkıran also highlighted the significance of flying aboard a Turkish-made aircraft.

"As commander of the Turkish Air Force, nothing could make me prouder than flying an aircraft produced by our own country," he said.

After the flight, Görgün asked Dalkıran whether the aircraft had passed the test and whether its acceptance had been completed, to which the commander responded: "Excellent. Done."

HÜRJET DEMONSTRATES DOMESTIC CAPABILITIES

Görgün and Dalkıran also participated in a Hürjet test flight during which the aircraft demonstrated Türkiye's domestically developed radar capabilities.

During the flight, the Hürjet P2 aircraft used Aselsan's domestically developed MURAD active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to detect and lock onto the Hürjet P1 aircraft.

Görgün said the Turkish Air Force's personnel would receive their initial training aboard the Hürkuş before completing advanced training with the Hürjet.

"The Hürjet flown by our commander, which was equipped with the AESA radar developed by Aselsan, locked onto the Hürjet we were flying from a certain distance," he said.

"This was a first. Experiencing this, witnessing a historic moment and walking this path together with our entire team and valuable personnel is immensely meaningful," he added.