Turkish Aerospace Industries signed a contract to build 12 Hurkus-C armed close air support and training aircrafts for an unknown customer.
Hurkus-C has the benefit of also offering a low-cost, flexible solution against asymmetric threats which have become common on today’s battlefields.
The General manager of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Temel Kotil, on Sunday told CNN Turk that Turkey will soon start exporting its indigenous Hurkus-C armed close air support and training aircraft. The buyer has not yet been revealed, Turkey previously intended to export Hurkus-C to Malaysia and Azerbaijan.
Kotil added that 12 Hurkus-C will be sold in total.
“We cannot disclose the country because the contract has not been signed yet, but it will take place,” he said.
TAI designed the Hurkus aircraft to support a wide range of missions in Turkey’s training programmes. More than just training up pilots, the low-cost, high precision Hurkus-C was developed to perform in light attack and armed reconnaissance missions.
Hurkus-C has the benefit of also offering a low-cost, flexible solution against asymmetric threats which have become common on today’s battlefields.
In addition to the advanced capabilities of Hurkus, the Hurkus-C, thanks to its seven external load stations, gives a large payload capacity (carrying capacity of an aircraft) of up to 1,500 kilograms that can be utilised to perform challenging missions at high altitudes and demanding geographies, under day or night conditions.
When it comes to its external load capacity, Hurkus-C will be using general-purpose bombs and Turkish-made ammunition developed by Turkey’s state-backed defence giants like Roketsan, the Defense Industries Research and Development Institute (SAGE) under the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK).
The aircraft will also feature two 12.7 mm and 20 mm gun systems, a 2.75-inch rocket assortment, or training bombs.
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