TAI Hürkuş

Hürkuş
Role basic trainer and ground attack aircraft
National origin Turkey
Manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries
First flight 29 August 2013[1]
Status Static stability and flight tests ongoing
Number built 4 prototypes


The TAI Hürkuş (Free Bird)[2] is a tandem two-seat, low-wing, single-engine, turboprop aircraft being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) as a new basic trainer and ground attack aircraft for the Turkish Armed Forces.[3][4][5]

The aircraft is named after Vecihi Hürkuş, a Turkish aviation pioneer and the first Turkish airplane manufacturer.[6]

Design and development

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.[7]

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.[8][9][10]

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).[4][7] Microtecnica of Turin, Italy has been selected to provide the aircraft's environmental control system.[11] The Hürkuş has been designed for a 35-year service life.[12]

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[4] and actually occurred on 29 August 2013 when the aircraft flew from the Ankara Akıncı Air Base on a 33-minute flight.[1][13][14][15]

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.[4][5][9][16][17][18] According to a news report from CNN Türk, Australia and Sweden are interested in the aircraft.[8]

Variants

Hürkuş-A
Basic version which has been certified with EASA according to CS-23 requirements. It is intended for the civilian market [19][20]
Hürkuş-B
Advanced version with integrated avionics (including HUD, MFDs, and Mission Computer).[21] Cockpit avionics layout is similar to F-16 and F-35 fighters.[22] The Turkish Army is considering an order for 15 aircraft.[19]
Hürkuş-C
An armed version for the close air support role will have a maximum weapons load of 3,300lb (1,500kg) and also carry a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor. As the Hürkuş will be capable of operating from unprepared runways, it could also attract export orders, TAI believes. The Turkish Army has expressed interest in the Hürkuş C to provide support for its attack helicopters.[19][23][24]
Coast Guard version
TAI plans to offer another version of the Hürkuş to support the Turkish Coast Guard's maritime patrol operations. The aircraft's rear seat would be occupied by an operator for a FLIR sensor using an ASELSAN FLIR system.[19][25]

Specifications (Hürkuş)

Data from TAI and Airforce Technology[21][26]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Avionics

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. 1 2 "HÜRKUŞ ilk uçuşunu gerçekleştirdi - Anadolu Ajansı". Aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2013-08-29.
  2. ↑ "Turkey grounds T-37 fleet for safety checks". Flightglobal.com. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  3. ↑ Hürriyet - Doğan Yayın Holding (2010). "İşte Hürkuş". Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Turkish Aerospace Industries (2008). "TAI'S Turkish Primary and Basic Trainer Aircraft(Hurkis) To be Displayed at 47th Paris Airshow". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  5. 1 2 Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (February 2010). "Turkish Primary and Basic Trainer Aircraft (HÜRKUŞ) Development Program". Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  6. ↑ Turkish Aerospace Industries (June 2007). "Aviation Week - Show News - Turkey's New Trainer Gets Old Name: Hurkis". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  7. 1 2 Turkish Aerospace Industries (2008). "Turkish Primary and Basic Trainer Aircraft - Hurkis". Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Hürkuş'un kadın mühendisleri". YouTube. 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  9. 1 2 "Milliyet - İlk yerli uçak Hürkuş 1 milyon saatte tasarlandı". Ekonomi.milliyet.com.tr. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  10. ↑ "Hürkuş'un kadın mühendisleri". Kokpit.aero. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  11. ↑ Hoyle, Craig (June 2010). "Microtecnica selected to equip Turkey's Hurkus trainer". Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  12. ↑ "Türkiye'nin uçağı Hürkuş". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  13. ↑ "Turkish Primary and Basic Trainer "Hürkuş" Rolls Out - Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc". Tai.com.tr. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  14. ↑ "HÜRKUŞ, ilk uçuşunu yaptı". ZAMAN. Retrieved 2013-08-29.
  15. ↑ Niles, Russ (2013-08-29). "Turkish Hurkus Military Trainer Flies - AVweb flash Article". Avweb. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  16. ↑ "Hürkuş'un farklı detayları". Kokpit.aero. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  17. ↑ "TAI Hurkus nears first flight and orders". Flightglobal.com. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
  18. ↑ "Turkey to open contract negotiations with TAI for the serial production of the Hürkus Trainer Aircraft". January 4, 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 4 PICTURE: TAI rolls out Turkey's first Hurkus trainer
  20. ↑ "EASA Awards TAI with Design Organization Certificate - Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc". Tai.com.tr. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  21. 1 2 "HURKUS - Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc". Tai.com.tr. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  22. ↑ "Hürkuş'un farklı detayları". Kokpit.aero. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  23. ↑ "Hürkuş siparişi SSİK toplantısında gündeme geliyor". Kokpit.aero. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  24. ↑ "Hürkuş'un farklı detayları". Kokpit.aero. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  25. ↑ "Hürkuş'un farklı detayları". Kokpit.aero. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  26. ↑ TAI Hurkus Basic Trainer Aircraft - Airforce Technology

External links

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