Spain has contracted Airbus Defence & Space and Turkish Aerospace to deliver a new advanced jet training system for the country’s air force, including the supply of 30 of the latter’s Hurjet trainers.
Designed to replace Madrid’s fleet of outdated Northrop F-5 fleet, the Hurjets will arrive in an initial configuration over the 2028-2029 period.
Those aircraft will then be adapted with Spanish-specific content and redelivered to the air force from the second half of 2031 until 2035.
A first pair of Hurjets will be modified at Airbus’s existing facilities in Getafe, near Madrid, while conversion of the remainder will take place at an as-yet undisclosed site to be established elsewhere in Spain.
The modification process includes the installation of Spanish-developed mission and training systems, remote interface units, audio management systems, avionics computers, and mission recording or weapon simulators.
Airbus will also develop a new ground-based training system, alongside other Spanish providers, to come on-stream from 2028 at Talavera la Real air base in the southwest of the country.
A services and support package is included as part of the contract. Governmental approval for the acquisition of up to 45 Hurjets was granted in September.
