The Type Certificate for the New Generation Training Aircraft HÜRKUŞ was awarded to TUSAŞ-Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. on August 18, 2016, at a ceremony coordinated by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (SHGM).
Törende bir konuşma yapan Milli Savunma Bakanı Fikri Işık, Savunma Sanayiinde yıllar önce başlatılan hamlelerin her alanda meyvelerini vermeye başladığını belirterek, %60 olan Savunma Sanayiindeki yerlilik oranının %80’e ulaşması ve niteliğinin artırılması gerektiğini ifade etti. Savunma sanayii projelerinin geliştirilmesi için insan kaynağı ve yeterli ekonomik güce sahip olunduğuna dikkat çeken Bakan Işık, “Hepimizin sorumlu olduğu bir devlet, bir millet var. Çok daha güzel ve büyük işler yapacağız. HÜRKUŞ bizim için iftihar meseledir. Bundan sonrası da Milli Muharip Uçak olacaktır. TUSAŞ ile en iyisini yaparız.” dedi
Then, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ahmet Arslan, who took the podium, said, "Today we are experiencing a historic day and sharing the pride of it," stating that the project, which began on paper, had come to fruition. Minister Arslan emphasized that the fact that HÜRKUŞ's Type Certificate can be issued in our country with the capability of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and that world aviation authorities also accept this is a very important indicator, adding, "We believe in those present in this hall and in the political will to be able to build our own civil and military aircraft.".
Former Minister of National Defense and Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜRKSAT, Vecdi Gönül, who has supported the HÜRKUŞ Project from its inception, said in his speech at the ceremony, "HÜRKUŞ is the first aircraft we built ourselves, and this is a historic day." Sharing the events of the initial stages of the HÜRKUŞ Project with the guests, Gönül said, "Our desire to build an aircraft was very strong. When this project started, I said that I wanted to be invited to the completion ceremony, but I didn't want to come with a cane. I was able to see this happy day without a cane, and I thank TUSAŞ very much.".
HÜRKUŞ holds the distinction of being the first aircraft certified by the SHGM (Turkish Civil Aviation Authority) and the first Turkish aircraft to be certified by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency).
