TF-X Turkish Fighter & Trainer Aircraft Projects

[T-SaGe]

This is a pretty important statement. In past, some officials were saying "there would be such version", or "if demanded, we would make such armed version" etc.

Appereantly airforce demanded such a thing, thus armed version became an official project. Let's see what kind of product we will see.

Current project, AJT-LIFT version of the Hurjet is of course shaped around the TAF needs, but the export-oriented progress of the light attack model is one of the possibilities. It is no secret that TAI is looking customers for Hurjet-Light Attack variant in this regard, and significant progress has been made in this regard. As it is known, this project was initiated with TAI's equity. In order for all of roadmap(from trainer to fully capable fighter) to be financially secure, the project should either continue fully under the auspices of the SSB or collect a sufficient number of orders.

 

[Turcici Imperium]

As it is known, this project was initiated with TAI's equity

I don't really think that they would get into such adventures by themselves without fullfilling TAF's requirements. Turkish Aerospace was funding a lot of projects by themselves lately, there's no way they would go with armed Hürjet version with their own will without getting any guarantee from SSB.

Imo there will never be 200+ MMU in the inventory of TAF, and some fleets will eventually be replaced with Hürjet's armed version. There is not any significant air threat from our southern/eastern neighbors. Worst of armed Hürjet would be enough to deal with best of anything Assad and co could throw at us. Replacing entire airforce with MMUs would be unnecesserily costly.

 

[Dai Toruko]

There are three options for the engine of the National Combat Aircraft

Defence Industry President Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir answered the questions about journalist Hakan Çelik's activities in the field of defence.

en.defenceturk.net

 

[Turcici Imperium]

Appereantly talks are ongoing between SSB and Turkish Aerospace about possibilities of the usage of armed version of Hürjet on TCG Anadolu.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1376421472743350274

 

[T-SaGe]

With the completion of the critical design, Turkish Aviation and Space Industry Inc. (TAI) has started to produce detailed parts for the jet training aircraft HURJET-AJT, and it is aimed to start assembly work at the end of the year.

TUSAŞ Training Aircraft Program Manager Tuncay Çopur said that Hürjet was launched in August 2017 as a Jet Trainer Aircraft Development Project with the company's resources. Stating that the conceptual design activities in April 2018, the preliminary design activities in July 2019, and the critical design activities in February 2021 were completed, Çopur said the production activities started with the conclusion of the design cycles. The first detail-parts started to be produced as of January, Çopur said, and he added that "With the completion of the critical design, we started our detailed parts production activities intensively.

Explaining that they continue their design activities under the advanced jet training aircraft variant, Çopur pointed out that the aircraft has an infrastructure that can be used in different roles.

Çopur gave the following information: "It already has an aircraft infrastructure that can be used by the Turkish Stars acro team. Also, it has the infrastructure to land and takes off from the aircraft carrier of our Naval Forces. Our negotiations with our Naval Forces about this are ongoing... We are currently continuing our development activities with the opinions of TAI and Air Force pilots. "

"We aim to start our production completely as of June and to start final assembly activities in the last quarter of this year. Our ultimate goal is to realize our safe flight in a certain configuration by the end of 2022. Our certification activities continue. We are aiming to launch this product in 2025-2026."

Emphasizing that the primary goal is to design and manufacture modern jet training aircraft that are needed nationally and internationally between 2025 and 2030, Çopur also explained that they also evaluate meeting the needs in other various roles. The first of these is to be able to design an aircraft that will meet the acro team's needs. Later, we aim to produce an aircraft version that is used as a counter-force aircraft used in various exercises. In parallel, there may be various versions of these in the LIFT phase in the future.

Studies on Naval Variant

"We evaluated this issue in the meetings we held with our Naval Forces Command. We are currently studying what kind of systems and revisions are needed to meet this both on the aircraft and on the ship. We are preparing a protocol for continuation of this cooperation. If this protocol is signed, we will start detailed studies regarding both on-board requirements and what modifications should be made on the ship, as well as how to reflect these in our design activities.In the activities we have done so far, we consider that our plane is at a level that can take off and land on the ship and meet operational needs. Several systems may need to be integrated. We will evaluate this in detail and reflect this in our design activities in the future. "

S- https://www.savunmatr.com/savunma-sanayii/hurjet-ucagi-montaja-hazirlaniyor-h10693.html

 

[SgtGungHo]

With the completion of the critical design, Turkish Aviation and Space Industry Inc. (TAI) has started to produce detailed parts for the jet training aircraft HURJET-AJT, and it is aimed to start assembly work at the end of the year.

TUSAŞ Training Aircraft Program Manager Tuncay Çopur said that Hürjet was launched in August 2017 as a Jet Trainer Aircraft Development Project with the company's resources. Stating that the conceptual design activities in April 2018, the preliminary design activities in July 2019, and the critical design activities in February 2021 were completed, Çopur said the production activities started with the conclusion of the design cycles. The first detail-parts started to be produced as of January, Çopur said, and he added that "With the completion of the critical design, we started our detailed parts production activities intensively.

Explaining that they continue their design activities under the advanced jet training aircraft variant, Çopur pointed out that the aircraft has an infrastructure that can be used in different roles.

Çopur gave the following information: "It already has an aircraft infrastructure that can be used by the Turkish Stars acro team. Also, it has the infrastructure to land and takes off from the aircraft carrier of our Naval Forces. Our negotiations with our Naval Forces about this are ongoing... We are currently continuing our development activities with the opinions of TAI and Air Force pilots. "

"We aim to start our production completely as of June and to start final assembly activities in the last quarter of this year. Our ultimate goal is to realize our safe flight in a certain configuration by the end of 2022. Our certification activities continue. We are aiming to launch this product in 2025-2026."

Emphasizing that the primary goal is to design and manufacture modern jet training aircraft that are needed nationally and internationally between 2025 and 2030, Çopur also explained that they also evaluate meeting the needs in other various roles. The first of these is to be able to design an aircraft that will meet the acro team's needs. Later, we aim to produce an aircraft version that is used as a counter-force aircraft used in various exercises. In parallel, there may be various versions of these in the LIFT phase in the future.

Studies on Naval Variant

"We evaluated this issue in the meetings we held with our Naval Forces Command. We are currently studying what kind of systems and revisions are needed to meet this both on the aircraft and on the ship. We are preparing a protocol for continuation of this cooperation. If this protocol is signed, we will start detailed studies regarding both on-board requirements and what modifications should be made on the ship, as well as how to reflect these in our design activities.In the activities we have done so far, we consider that our plane is at a level that can take off and land on the ship and meet operational needs. Several systems may need to be integrated. We will evaluate this in detail and reflect this in our design activities in the future. "

S- https://www.savunmatr.com/savunma-sanayii/hurjet-ucagi-montaja-hazirlaniyor-h10693.html

The interviewer should have asked about the engine, GE F404, to Mr. Copur. The US congress & governmental agencies are awefully quiet on this subject.

 

[T-SaGe]

Which technologies do HAVELSAN develop for Turkey's National Combat Aircraft Project?


Within the scope of the cooperation agreement signed between Turkish Aerospace and HAVELSAN in line with the National Combat Aircraft (TF-X) Development Project, HAVELSAN is developing hardware and software of MMU.

HAVELSAN introduced the technologies it is developing for the TF-X aircraft in video it shared on twitter:

• Digital twin for the Aircraft and the engine -Computational twin
• Systems Engineering simulator
• Threat models for operational analysis
• Cyber security architecture of the platform and its software
• Proof of concept and demonstration of the technologies to be developed
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning
• CBRN system
• Aircraft Health Management System - Predictive platform health management
• Dynamic task scheduling
• Indigenous Real Time Operating System
• Integrated modular avionics
• Software technologies
• Sensor technologies

 

[RadarGudumluMuhimmat]

 

[BON PLAN]

The interviewer should have asked about the engine, GE F404, to Mr. Copur. The US congress & governmental agencies are awefully quiet on this subject.

under CAATSA, no US engine my dear.... it's now a cold case.
Ask Mister Putin for another solution.

 

[RadarGudumluMuhimmat]

 

[merzifonlu]

under CAATSA, no US engine my dear.... it's now a cold case.
Ask Mister Putin for another solution.

Monsieur Macron? No?

 

[BON PLAN]

Monsieur Macron? No?

No more. Sorry.

 

[merzifonlu]

No more. Sorry.

Awww.

Joking aside, I think Erdogan's way of speaking out of politeness is very effective in this result. Even if we were right in our base arguments. Procedure comes first!

 

[T-SaGe]

View attachment 737658
View attachment 737659

Canted tails angle higher (distinctly wide almost as Northop's mysterious V-tail-ruddervators on YF-23) than F-22, but quite similar airframes, together with wing area and (possibly)leading-edge extensions. This design confirms that the Air Force wants an aircraft primarily focused on air superiority.

 

[SgtGungHo]

under CAATSA, no US engine my dear.... it's now a cold case.
Ask Mister Putin for another solution.

The US sanctioned particular indivisuals such as Mr. Ismail Demir, not the entire country (remember Trump was very reluctant to impose the sanction on Turkey).

Is it still possible for Turkey to import American engines listed on both the United States Munitions List (USML) & the Commerce Control List (CCL) despite of CAATSA on key figures of Turkish military industry? Yes.

Is it likely to be approved & endorsed by the US government, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)? HIghly unlikely.

Joking aside, I think Erdogan's way of speaking out of politeness is very effective in this result. Even if we were right in our base arguments. Procedure comes first!

Turkey has hired lobbyists in Washington to persuade the US government on issuing export-license for particular parts (read engines), yet failed to achieve desirable results so far.

Biden's comments on Armenia show that the current US administration isn't exactly keen on being "friendly" to Turkey so yeah Turks may be ended up being forced to re-design Hurjet with Russian or Ukrainian engine.