Indigenous aircraft to add new dimension to Turkish aviation
TAI's Hürkuş conducts a demonstration flight as part of Teknofest in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 28, 2023. (AA Photo)


Türkiye's defense industry will offer a product range that can create an air force from scratch thanks to the development of the basic trainer Hürkuş, jet trainer Hürjet and national combat aircraft KAAN, the chief test pilot of Hürkuş said.

"Türkiye has made a magnificent move, starting with Hürkus and Anka in unmanned aircraft, and with Atak in helicopters and continuing with Gökbey," Murat Özpala told Anadolu Agency (AA).

He stressed that Hürkus has carried out more than 2,000 hours of test flights to date.

On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that KAAN would be the name of Türkiye's fighter jet, which was previously known as the "national combat aircraft."

KAAN will take off for the first time after completing high-speed taxi tests.

The fifth-generation aircraft was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) with an aim to replace the Turkish army's aging F-16 fleet.

Hürjet, Türkiye's first indigenous supersonic combat aircraft, made its maiden flight at the end of April.

The aircraft is aiming to replace aging jet trainers and to be "used as advanced jet trainers due to the increasing number of fifth-generation aircraft (TFX, F-35, etc.) and their changing configurations," according to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).