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Turkish turboprop trainer aircraft From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The TAI Hürkuş (Free Bird)[4] is a tandem two-seat, low-wing, single-engine, turboprop aircraft being produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) as a trainer and ground attack aircraft for the Turkish Armed Forces.[5][6][7]
| Hürkuş | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| TAI Hürkuş | |
| Role | Trainer aircraft and ground attack aircraft |
| National origin | Turkey |
| Manufacturer | Turkish Aerospace Industries |
| First flight | 29 August 2013[1] |
| Status | In service[2] |
| Primary user | Turkish Air Force |
| Number built | 18 (June 2020)[3] |
The aircraft is named after Vecihi Hürkuş, a World War I and Turkish Independence War veteran pilot, a Turkish aviation pioneer and the first Turkish airplane manufacturer.[8]
The TAI Hürkuş Development Program started with an agreement signed between Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (Savunma Sanayii Müsteşarlığı (SSM)) and TAI in March 2006. Under the agreement the company will design, manufacture and complete the civil certification the aircraft to European Aviation Safety Agency CS 23 standards.[9]
By June 2012 the Hürkuş program had consumed one million man-hours with the work of 140 engineers. About a quarter of the Turkish engineers who have worked on Hürkuş are female, as well as two of the three project heads.[10][11][12]
The Hürkuş will be equipped for day and night flying as well as basic pilot training, instrument flying, navigation training, weapons and formation training. The aircraft will have good visibility from both cockpits with a 50 degree down-view angle from the rear cockpit, cabin pressurization (nominal 4.16 psid), Martin-Baker Mk T-16 N 0/0 ejection seats, an onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS), an Environmental Control System (Vapor Cycle Cooling), an anti-G system, high shock absorbing landing gear for training missions, and Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS).[6][9] Microtecnica of Turin, Italy has been selected to provide the aircraft's environmental control system.[13] The Hürkuş has been designed for a 35-year service life.[14]
The Hürkuş development program has been subject to delays. In 2007 it was forecast that the first prototype would fly in late-2009 with first delivery, upon completion of the certification process, forecast for 2011. On 27 June 2012, the Hürkuş was officially rolled out at a ceremony held at TAI's Kazan premises. The forecast date for the first flight was then delayed until later in 2012[6] and actually occurred on 29 August 2013 when the aircraft flew from the Ankara Akıncı Air Base on a 33-minute flight.[1][15][16][17]
The Turkish government has indicated that the aircraft is expected to attract export sales, possibly from Middle Eastern countries, African countries or countries with limited air force budgets.[6][7][11][18][19][20] According to a news report from CNN Türk, Australia and Sweden are interested in the aircraft.[10]
In 2016, the Hürkuş-A trainer aircraft was awarded a CS-23 Validation Type Certificate by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and an Aircraft Type Certificate by the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)[21]
The Turkish Army has an order for 15 Hürkuş-B aircraft plus an option for 40 more. Deliveries are scheduled for mid 2017[22][21]
In February 2017, photos were released by the Turkish MoD showing the prototype for armed version, the Hürkuş-C.[23]
TAI developed Hürkuş 2, which is modified, lighter and better version of Hürkuş aircraft. The first prototypes are on the assembly line and are expected to appear in 2025 and make their first flight. Deliveries are expected to begin soon after, in the same year.
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Data from TAI and Airforce Technology[25][37]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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Avionics
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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