Airbus, TUSAŞ sign deal on Hürjet jet trainer collaboration for Spain

ISTANBUL — Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) and Airbus, one of Europe’s leading aerospace companies, have inked an agreement to accelerate the export of the Hürjet advanced jet trainer to Spain.

Signed during the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) here, the pact formalizes the collaboration between TUSAŞ and Airbus on the Hürjet program and defines each company’s role in Spain’s jet trainer procurement process.

The move follows a memorandum of understanding signed in May between TUSAŞ and a Spanish defence industry consortium that includes Airbus, focusing on industrial collaboration around the Hürjet.

The new agreement aims to accelerate the process of integrating the aircraft into the Spanish Air Force inventory.

The partnership also clarifies key details regarding the export of the Hürjet. Under the agreement, up to 30 Hürjet aircraft are expected to be procured to meet Spain’s jet trainer requirement. The final sales contract is scheduled to be signed by the end of 2025, with deliveries planned to begin in 2028.

The agreement sets the work-share terms for both parties and is considered the final step before the anticipated order from the Spanish Air Force later this year.

“This agreement, signed between the two companies, outlines how we intend to run the Hürjet program in Spain. It sets the intent and defines the terms — how we are going to work together, who will be responsible for what, and how we will integrate the Spanish team into the Hürjet project,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defence and Space.

“We are also building a training system around the aircraft. The aircraft itself is, of course, the flying platform, but the ultimate goal is to train future pilots. That involves simulators, software, and various technologies integrated around the aircraft. All of this is included in our joint agreement.”

When asked about the potential risks the project may face, Dumont told Defense News that one of the key challenges lies in introducing Spanish-specific customization while the aircraft is still under development. This creates the risk of overlapping time horizons, he said.

“To mitigate that, it’s crucial for Turkish Aerospace to complete aircraft development and prepare for delivery, while both teams begin working together to become familiar with the program. This first step is critical,” Dumont said.

“We need a basic aircraft as the foundation, and that aircraft is currently under development. Once that’s ready, we can move forward with the Spanish customization. These two efforts will proceed in parallel. However, we must be careful not to overburden the core development team during this process.”

Dumont said that the company’s goal is to deliver on industrial-policy obligations under the sale.

“The Spanish Ministry of Defense has asked for the incorporation of Spanish content into the Turkish aircraft and the establishment of strong industrial ties between Spanish entities and Turkish Aerospace,” he said. “That is our current priority.”

Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.

伊斯坦布尔——土耳其航空航天工业公司（TUSAŞ）与欧洲领先的航空航天公司之一空中客车公司签署了一项协议，以加快向西班牙出口Hürjet高级喷气教练机。

该协议在西班牙举行的第 17 届国际防务工业博览会 (IDEF) 期间签署，正式确立了 TUSAŞ 和空中客车公司在 Hürjet 项目上的合作，并明确了每家公司在西班牙喷气式教练机采购过程中的角色。

此前，TUSAŞ 与包括空客在内的西班牙国防工业联盟于 5 月签署了一份谅解备忘录，重点围绕 Hürjet 展开工业合作。

新协议旨在加快将这些飞机整合到西班牙空军装备库中的进程。

该合作协议还明确了有关Hürjet飞机出口的关键细节。根据协议，预计将采购至多30架Hürjet飞机，以满足西班牙的喷气式教练机需求。最终销售合同计划于2025年底签署，交付工作计划于2028年开始。

该协议规定了双方的工作分工条款，被认为是今年晚些时候西班牙空军预期下订单之前的最后一步。

“两家公司签署的这项协议概述了我们计划如何在西班牙开展 Hürjet 项目。它明确了意图并定义了条款——我们将如何合作，谁负责什么，以及我们将如何把西班牙团队融入 Hürjet 项目，”空中客车防务与航天公司空军力量负责人让-布里斯·杜蒙表示。

“我们还在围绕这架飞机构建一套训练系统。飞机本身当然是飞行平台，但最终目标是培养未来的飞行员。这涉及到模拟器、软件以及围绕飞机集成的各种技术。所有这些都包含在我们的联合协议中。”

当被问及该项目可能面临的潜在风险时，杜蒙告诉《防务新闻》，关键挑战之一在于飞机仍在研发阶段时就引入西班牙特有的定制化方案。他表示，这会造成时间跨度重叠的风险。

“为了缓解这种情况，土耳其航空航天公司必须尽快完成飞机研发并做好交付准备，同时双方团队也应开始合作，熟悉项目流程。这第一步至关重要，”杜蒙特说道。

“我们需要一架基础飞机作为基础，而这架飞机目前正在研发中。一旦基础飞机准备就绪，我们就可以着手进行西班牙方面的定制。这两项工作将并行推进。但是，我们必须注意，在此过程中不要给核心研发团队增加过重的负担。”

杜蒙表示，公司的目标是履行此次出售所规定的产业政策义务。

他说：“西班牙国防部要求土耳其飞机采用西班牙本土部件，并在西班牙企业和土耳其航空航天公司之间建立牢固的产业联系。这是我们目前的首要任务。”

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。