This past week, Türkiye’s aerospace industry arguably crossed one of the greatest milestones of its history by carrying out the maiden test flights of its Hürjet trainer and T-929 attack helicopter.
The flights follow the unveiling and ground testing of the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TUSAŞ) MMU, i.e., Türkiye’s next-generation fighter aircraft (NGFA) and its flagship aerospace program. TUSAŞ also revealed its ANKA-3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) last month and, in turn, carried out ground tests for its swept-wing stealth drone around the same time as the Hürjet and T-929 flights.
Overall, the start of 2023 marks a significant forward step for Türkiye’s efforts to develop next-generation air combat solutions through its domestic industry base.
Hürjet Trainer and Light Combat Aircraft
TUSAŞ carried out the test flight of the Hürjet on April 23 in a facility outside of Ankara. The prototype unit was unpainted, and it was accompanied by an F-16. Its test flight reportedly lasted for 26 minutes, during which the Hürjet reportedly reached a top speed of 250 knots and an altitude of 14,000 ft.
Türkiye initiated the Hürjet program in 2017 as a future solution to replace the Turkish Air Force’s (TuAF) T-38 Talons. In 2020, TUSAŞ finalized the Hürjet’s design and started work on the aircraft.
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