Another milestone has been passed in Turkish aviation. HÜRKUŞ-II has received the first Military Type Certificate issued to a domestically developed air platform, following a comprehensive process conducted entirely with domestic personnel in accordance with international standards. The certificate, approved on 9 September 2026 by the Certification Board composed of personnel from the Defence Industry Agency (SSB) and the Air Force Command, also demonstrated that Türkiye has built a technical authority capable not only of designing and producing platforms, but also of testing, verifying and certifying them.
The Figures Behind the Certification Process
The certification of HÜRKUŞ-II is the product of intensive engineering work conducted across 12 separate disciplines. During the process, 1,790 certification requirements were verified, 950 evidence documents were technically reviewed, and a total of 153 certification tests were carried out. Seven experts from the SSB Quality-Test and Certification Department, 16 certification experts from the TR Airworthiness company, 5 experts from the Air Force Command and 12 certification experts from the Ministry of National Defence took part in the process. Contractor TUSAŞ participated with 40 Airworthiness Experts and 10 Design and Production Organisation Approval Experts. This broad participation demonstrates that certification expertise built up across different institutions in Türkiye has been brought together under a common structure.
"We Are Building Our Own Technical Authority and Certification Culture"
Defence Industry Agency President Professor Dr. Haluk Görgün emphasised that HÜRKUŞ-II's Military Type Certificate represents a strategic threshold as much as a technical one. Görgün stated: "9 September 2026 is a strategic as well as technical threshold for our Turkish aviation industry. This certificate is the result of highly intensive engineering, testing and verification efforts. We are not only developing air platforms; we are also building the technical authority, methodology and certification culture that will verify the reliability of these platforms with our own people."
Görgün noted that the certification experience gained through HÜRKUŞ-II will transform into a permanent capability and a strong institutional memory for future national air platforms, stating: "On the wings of HÜRKUŞ-II lies the will of a Türkiye that trusts its own design, its own testing and its own technical competence."
Technical Specifications of HÜRKUŞ-II
HÜRKUŞ-II is positioned as a single-engine turboprop trainer aircraft. According to TUSAŞ data, the aircraft has been designed to serve a broad spectrum of pilot training, from basic flight training to the transition phase towards combat aircraft. Compared with previous HÜRKUŞ versions, the aircraft features a lighter fuselage structure, with increased domestic content in components including the canopy, cooling system, hydraulic pump, radio and IFF (Identification Friend or Foe). The aircraft is powered by a 1,600-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68T turboprop engine and can reach an altitude of 6,500 feet and a speed of 140 knots.
Delivery Schedule and Export Negotiations
Under the contract signed with the SSB for HÜRKUŞ-II, a total of 55 aircraft will be produced. The first 15 aircraft are planned for delivery to the Turkish Air Force, with the remaining 40 to be completed by 2027. According to statements by TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu, there is strong international interest in both the training and armed versions of the aircraft. It is noted that negotiations with Azerbaijan have reached the signing stage, and there are serious direct purchase requests from Gulf countries, Africa and South America.
This certificate is regarded as a critical step in documenting, to international standards, the level of maturity Türkiye has achieved in air platforms. A permanent certification infrastructure and institutional memory have now been established for future domestic platforms to follow HÜRKUŞ-II.
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