If our Export Champion Candidate HÜRJET wins the Spanish Tender; Romania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Portugal, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. Are they next?

Spain will procure Advanced Jet Trainer Aircraft, HÜRJET is among the candidates.

According to the aviation news portal AWIN (Aviation Week Network) (Ref.-1); Spain will accelerate the tender process for the selection of a new platform to replace the F-5 lead-in jet trainer. 

While Spain is examining four air platforms/aircraft and systems for the replacement of the F-5, it is also exploring the possibility of a brand new design. This new design could involve buying a design made by another company and developing it as its own original design.

Candidate aircraft competing in Spain's tender for lead-in jet trainer aircraft; 

 T-7 Red Hawk from Boeing, USA, 

 T-50 Golden Eagle from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea, 

 M-346 Master from Leonardo Italy and 

 is HÜRJET from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).  

However, other candidates may also participate in this tender. We can already say that there will be a very competitive tender process.

Let us briefly get to know the candidate aircraft in the Spanish tender:

M-346 Master; Italian (Alenia Aermacchi Finmeccanica Leonardo-Finmeccanica) Leonardo started to design the aircraft together with Russian Yakovlev, but after the agreement was broken, Lonardo continued the design as M-346 and Yakovlev continued the design as Yak/AEM-130. When both aircraft are compared, it will be seen that they are twins of each other.

The M-346 Master is a twin-engined, subsonic jet trainer and light attack aircraft. In terms of capacity and performance, it is the lowest of the candidates.

It is used by Italy, Israel, Poland, Singapore and Greece. 

The T-50 Golden Eagle is a South Korean supersonic jet trainer and light attack aircraft jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin. It entered service in 2005. It has advanced jet trainer and armed light attack aircraft versions.

It is used by South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Iraq, Thailand and Poland. 

It is the most capable among the candidates. The armed version of HÜRJET will have an equivalent or higher capacity than the armed version of the T-50. The armed version of the T-7 has not yet been decided. The US Air Force is considering a light attack variant of the T-7 or another new aircraft.

The T-7 Red Hawk is an American/Swedish subsonic advanced jet trainer designed and built by Boeing in conjunction with Saab. It is still in the testing and development phase. An armed version has not been designed, but it may be designed if there is customer demand.

HÜRJET is a turbofan-engined advanced jet trainer and close air support aircraft being developed by TAI.

The prototype is currently undergoing test and evaluation flights. The jet training variant is expected to enter service with the Turkish Air Force in 2025.

In terms of capacity, it will have an equivalent or higher capacity than the T-50.

In recent years, the tendency to combine the requirements of Advanced Jet Trainer and Close Air Support/Light Attack Aircraft in a single aircraft has increased significantly. ‘Optimisation’ has become the most important parameter in this trend.

Countries, regardless of the cost, try to meet the minimum requirements for national defence and, if possible, to exceed them. This tendency and determination exists in every country without exception. This objective function is actually a mathematical modelling whose optimisation (best possible) is very prominent in the procurement of a fighter jet.

Yes, you want to train your jet pilots who will defend your country very well. However, wouldn't it be nice if you could use your jet trainers, which provide them with advanced jet training, for light air-to-ground attack missions? In this way, for example, wouldn't you considerably lighten the load on your 4th and 5th generation aircraft in your inventory, such as the F-16, Saab Gripen, Rafale, EF Typhoon, F-18, F-15, F-35, etc.? Moreover, you will provide a very advanced jet fighter training to the pilots who will fly in these aircraft.

In fact, we can consider the jet fighter aircraft that will perform this light attack mission as an aircraft with 1/2 F-16 capacity. If you adorn this aircraft with low acquisition and maintenance-maintenance costs (economic), high activity rate (capable of performing an average of 3 sorties per day), low failure rate, ergonomic for failure intervention (aircraft maintainer friendly), effective capacity and easy to use (pilot friendly), but even with AESA radar on it, Fly By Wire controlled, very suitable for modification and modernisation, i.e. continuous development, structurally sound, excellent spare parts flow and cost-effective, etc. force multiplier features, you will hardly find a country that will not want to buy from you.

HÜRJET seems to provide all these features, and on top of that, it has a really sleek aerodynamic design; it seems to be a super 4+++ generation aircraft in terms of its design. You can easily get the impression that the test and evaluation phase was carried out very efficiently, under the leadership of TAI, and with the unexpectedly high level of participation and original design contributions of ASELSAN and other Turkish OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer); ‘yes, we have indeed built a real 4+++ generation aircraft’. We can already claim that the aircraft will be further improved with the feedback (feedback) to be obtained especially after its delivery to the Turkish Air Force.

I ask myself what we can criticise about the HÜRJET; if we could examine the real data, maybe we would find some criteria to criticise, but when I look at the aerodynamic design, I really cannot find a point that I can criticise. To understand what I mean, it would be sufficient to look at the aerodynamic design of the T-7 designed by Boeing and SAAB.

TAI's provision of effective ‘Field Engineering-Field Engineering’ support to the customer will be a critically important and essential service.

TAI's provision of effective, comprehensive and efficient ‘Field Engineering-Field Engineering’ support to the Turkish Air Force, and the perfect functioning of the ‘Life Cycle Cycle’ of the HÜRJET are the PARAMOUNT (Most Important) criteria for potential customers considering its procurement. I believe that a very effective and perfectly executed field engineering model will definitely be designed.

Not using a national engine in HÜRJET is not a disadvantage but an advantage for exports.

Until a national jet engine with a capacity suitable for the design purpose of HÜRJET is developed, 1xGeneral Electric F404-GE-102 turbofan engine will be used. Of course, flying with our national engine will provide us with a serious national capability, but flying with the GEF404 will provide a serious export advantage. Moreover, our country has a well-established company (TEI) in partnership with GE. In addition, the Turkish Air Force has a very well-established and high MRO&U (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul & Upgrade) capability, knowledge and experience in GE engines.

What kind of jet fighter trainer aircraft is Spain looking for?

Spain has postponed the retirement of its F-5s until after 2030. Spain wants to carry out the process of selecting, procuring and establishing the logistics infrastructure of the aircraft that will replace the F-5 unhurried and healthy.

If Spain were to develop a fighter jet to replace the F-5, it would certainly want to do so in partnership with at least one other European country; in this case, France, Italy or the UK would be among the potential candidates, but the remarkable test and evaluation process of HÜRJET puts Turkey among the candidates that could be involved in the original design. In other words, even if Spain does not acquire the HÜRJET, it will want to benefit from TAI's experience in the design of a new advanced jet trainer aircraft.

What are Spain's plans for the use of jet fighter aircraft in the coming years? 

Spain is part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, a European consortium. This 6th generation aircraft design and construction programme is led and developed by Dassault Aviation on behalf of France, Airbus on behalf of Germany and Indra Sistemas on behalf of Spain. 

Around 2045, the first prototype of this Next Generation Fighter (NGF), a sixth-generation jet fighter that will replace France's Rafale, Germany's EF Typhoon and Spain's EF-18 Hornet, is expected to test-fly around 2027, and enter service around 2045.

HÜRJET is the Optimum (Best Possible) Advanced Jet Trainer for Spain

The backbone of the Spanish Air Force consists of 84 EF-18As, mainly in the offensive role, and 68 EF 2000s, mainly in the air defence role. The EF-18A will remain in service for approximately 20+ years. EF 2000s are being reinforced with new variants. Spain's F-35 procurement plans are sometimes on the agenda, but it is observed that they are not very keen on this issue.

In the Spanish Air Force inventory, EF-18A and EF 2000 will be the main aircraft in the next 21 years, and from 2045 onwards, FCAS/NGF and EF 2000 aircraft will perform air attack and air defence missions.

A 4+++ generation advanced jet trainer, which will enable the transition to these aircraft, one of which is 4+++ and the other is 6th generation, is required for the Spanish Air Force from 2030 onwards, when the F-5s will be decommissioned.

Future developments in the FCAS programme will require the continuation in service of the EF-18As, which will be over 60 years old in the 2045s. This will not be very safe and efficient unless appropriate structural, avionics and engine modernisations are carried out. Continuous modernisation of older aircraft would also be economically very costly. After a certain airframe life, especially structural modernisation will not be possible.

It is precisely in such a possible erosion of air power that a jet trainer aircraft with light close air support capability can reinforce the Spanish air power.

Both before EF-18A and EF 2000, it would be both very economical and very effective for the pilots who will fly in these aircraft to receive advanced training in a training aircraft of their configuration. This need will become even more critical for training before FCAS flights.

Spain is an experienced country in indigenous aircraft design and construction. It is also very keen for joint design and production. It will have similar demands for this aircraft it will procure.

The HÜRJET, which is a new and very suitable aircraft for development, will be the perfect aircraft for Spain's needs beyond 2030.

The most obvious and prominent advantages of HÜRJET in the Spanish tender will be as follows

Programme effectiveness. 

HÜRJET is expected to enter service with the Turkish Air Force in 2025. This will be an advantageous schedule for Spain, which plans to procure a new generation advanced jet trainer aircraft from 2030. HÜRJET will have been flying in the Turkish Air Force for 5+ years before entering service with the Spanish Air Force. This is a great advantage for a country that will purchase a new air weapon system. Every customer country wants the weapon system to be effectively used and proven in the armed forces of their country.  

Cost effectiveness in procurement and maintenance.

We can evaluate that HÜRJET will be more advantageous in price than the KT-50 and T-7 in its category. M-346 may remain lower in price, but it is not at the level of HÜRJET in terms of capacity.

User (pilots & aircraft maintainers) friendly aircraft with high activity rate.

The concept of user-friendly aircraft is a very important performance indicator in military aviation. Air forces prefer aircraft with high activity rates, which do not tire and overwhelm those who fly them (pilots) and those who maintain them (aircraft maintainers). Such aircraft are called ‘user friendly’. We hope that HÜRJET will be a user-friendly aircraft. The test and evaluation phase is a very valuable process in this respect. We believe that this process will be well conducted and evaluated. Establishing the concept of a user-friendly aircraft is a very difficult endeavour that requires a lot of thought and high professionalism.

Aircraft that has proven itself in the operational environment.

In this regard, the KT-50 and M-346 are proven aircraft, while the T-7 and HÜRJET are not yet in service with the air forces of their respective countries. HÜRJET will gain and increase its effectiveness in this phase starting from 2025. It will be very necessary and very useful for TAI to carry out the maintenance phase of HÜRJET together with the Turkish Air Force, to receive the maximum feedback from the flights in the Turkish Air Force, and to carry out the development processes to increase system effectiveness with this feedback.

Compatibility with the Spanish culture of designing and building aircraft. A long history of co-operation with the Spanish CASA (Now AIRBUS MILITARY) Company.

Spain has the culture, desire, knowledge and experience to build aircraft. Spain could have designed and built the advanced jet trainer aircraft it needs, but it may have considered that such an endeavour would not be cost-effective for the approximately 20 aircraft it needs. 

However, HÜRJET; 100+ units will be produced only for the Turkish Air Force needs. This will provide a serious economic advantage for potential customers, especially Spain, both in the purchase of the aircraft and in the maintenance and overhaul phase.

TAI may enter into a long-term co-operation agreement with CASA (Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA), which is now AIRBUS MILITARY, especially for indigenous modifications and major maintenance of the HÜRJET. This agreement will benefit both Turkey and Spain.

TAI and CASA have a long-established and long-term co-operation and a culture of doing business together, especially in the CN-235T.

The use of GE404 engines on Spanish EF-18s.

The fact that a version of GE404 engines are used in Spanish EF-18s and that there is a serious MRO&U capability in Spain for these engines is an advantage for HÜRJET.

If HÜRJET wins the Spanish tender, will countries such as Romania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Portugal, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. also be interested in procurement?

I believe that these countries are in particular in need of light close air support aircraft. Some of these countries (Spain, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, etc.) have designed and produced jet fighter aircraft for close air support or close to it. Yes; if HÜRJET wins the Spanish tender, it will be among the most serious candidates in the tenders to be opened by these and other countries. Because the more an aircraft is manufactured and used in large numbers, the more confidence it will provide to other prospective users about its ‘lifelong effective maintenance’.

HÜRJET has the potential to become the ‘EXPORT CHAMPIONSHIP’ among our National Air Warfare Platforms.

References:

1. Spain Revives F-5 Trainer Replacement, May 21, 2024

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/light-attack-advanced-training/spain-revives-f-5-trainer-replacement