Spain and Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 20, 2024, to explore the possibility of jointly developing the new advanced trainer aircraft for the Spanish Air Force.
In particular, Spain is interested in the Hürjet trainer, manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), as a likely replacement for its aging F-5 Tiger II fleet.
The Spanish government is also looking at an industrial cooperation deal that would see the Spanish aerospace industry become a partner in the further development of the Hürjet, with potential for the aircraft to also be assembled in Spain.
The Hürjet is a supersonic advanced trainer and light attack aircraft which flew for the first time in 2023. It is expected to enter service with the Turkish Air Force in 2026.
Spain currently operates 19 Northop F-5M aircraft, which are used to train pilots as they transition from turboprop trainers to frontline jet fighters such as the F-18 and Eurofighter Typhoon. These are the last remaining units of a 70-unit fleet acquired in the late 1960s.
The Spanish F-5s underwent a thorough modernization process in 2008 but are currently facing the end of their operational lives, with their retirement planned by the end of the decade.
The Spanish Air Force is seeking a replacement and has been considering several options, including the T-7A Red Hawk, developed by Boeing and Saab, and the Italian-made Aermacchi M-346 Master.
If the collaboration project with TAI goes ahead, it will represent the return of Spain’s aerospace industry to the jet trainer segment. In the 1970s, Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA), now part of Airbus, developed the C-101 Aviojet, which for many years was used by the Spanish Air Force as its main jet trainer. 8Spain’s aerobatic team, the “Patrulla Águila”, still uses the C-101 for its air performances.