Spain awards Hürjet procurement contract

A full-scale mock-up of the TAI Hürjet in Spanish markings was presented at FEINDEF 2025 in Madrid. Spain is to acquire 30 such aircraft as part of a wider modernisation programme. (Janes/Tristan Sauer)

The Spanish government has contracted Airbus Defence and Space (DS) to deliver the Turkish Aerospace (TA) Hürjet under its Advanced Jet Trainer Aircraft, Integrated Training System – Combat (ITS-C) programme.

Disclosed in government budgetary documents, the EUR1.56 billion (USD1.83 billion) sole-source contract was awarded by the Directorate General for Armament and Material (DGAM) of the Ministry of Defence on 23 December. The award will run through to 30 November 2032.

News of the contract came three months after the Spanish government in September approved the effort to acquire up to 45 Hürjets as part of a wider five-year funding plan geared at modernising the military's fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft fleets. The Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries, Haluk Görgün, said on 29 December that the contract covers 30 Hürjet aircraft, meaning there may be options for a further 15 to follow at a later date (he also noted that the total project budget is EUR2.6 billion, again indicating that additional airframes will be acquired). He added that the deal includes an integrated training architecture covering advanced combat pilot training, ground-based simulation and training systems, maintenance-support infrastructure, and long-term operational support elements.

Görgün said aircraft deliveries will commence in 2028.

The Hürjet is being acquired by Spain as a replacement for the Spanish Air and Space Force's ageing CASA C-101 and Northrop EF-5M trainer platforms (however, it should be noted that the air force had previously selected the Pilatus PC-21 turboprop as its C-101 replacement). As noted by Janes All the World's Aircraft: Development & Production