Domestically developed TAI HürkuÅŸ-C armed close air support aircraft’s self-protection feature was successfully tested in capital Ankara’s Kahramankazan district, announced Saturday. HürkuÅŸ-C is a next-generation armed variant of the Hurkus basic trainer aircraft, designed and developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries. The attack version is intended to support different operational requirements of the armed forces and can be deployed in missions such as close air support (CAS), light attack, intelligence, surveillance, armed reconnaissance, and basic and primary pilot training.
“Besides being a training aircraft, HürkuÅŸ-C is preparing for its close air support duties with its weapons and protection systems,” head of the Presidency of the Turkish Defence Industries (SSB),Ismail Demir wrote on his Twitter account. The first shooting experience of HürkuÅŸ-C was carried out with the national defense contractor Roketsan’s LUMTAS missile in Turkey’s central Konya province and since then, the tests for new features and different ammunitions are being carried out. The Hurkus-C series are being developed to provide close air support to the Turkish Land Forces Command and Gendarmerie General Command in operation areas in addition to meeting the training needs of the Turkish Air Forces.
The latest version of the Hürkuş-C series will have a weight of approximately 5 tons and be able to carry 1.5 tons of payload. It will be able to stay in the air for up to six hours with an elevation of 35,000 feet. The Hurkus-C, which features five hardpoints and has a 1,500 kg payload capacity, can also deliver other locally developed munitions, including Cirit laser-guided 70 mm rockets and freefall bombs fitted with Teber INS/GPS-aided laser guidance kits. Additionally, it can be armed with general-purpose bombs as well as 12.7 mm and 20 mm gun systems, according to the SSB.
Based in Ankara, the TAI is serving the aerospace and defense industries by manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and satellites, and their components. TAI was established in June 1973 under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Technology in order to reduce foreign dependency in the country’s defense industry.
