Spain signed a €2.4 billion contract to acquire Hürjets from Turkish Aerospace Industries, with Airbus leading work on the new Integrated Training System.
The Spanish Government has signed the contract for the acquisition of the Türkiye Hürjet advanced training aircraft, manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), for the Air and Space Army (SASF). The contract was signed on December 28, making Spain the new coach’s first export client.
Two days later, on December 30, Airbus Defense and Space announced which has been hired by the Spanish Ministry of Defense to lead the development and implementation of the new Integrated Combat Training System (ITS-C). Airbus previously signed a cooperation agreement with TAI to split work-sharing for the Spanish acquisition of the trainer.
Information of Anadolu Ajansi and aviation week They have mentioned that the December 28 contract is valued at 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion). Airbus did not disclose a value in the December 30 press release, although this could refer to the December 28 contract.
Airbus represents the group of Spanish aerospace companies participating in the project that involves acquiring 30 Hürjet training aircraft from TAI and adapting them with Spanish systems before their delivery to the SASF until 2028 and 2029. Although the Spanish Government approved the acquisition of up to 45 aircraft in September, only 30 fuselages have been mentioned in the contract.
As 30 aircraft was the figure also mentioned in the previous agreement, we cannot exclude the possibility that the missing 15 aircraft are part of an option that Spain may decide to confirm later.
He @DefensaGob has selected Airbus Defense and Space to lead the development and implementation of the @EjercitoAireThe new integrated combat training system (ITS-C).
The contract, jointly led by Airbus, as national coordinator for Spain, and @TUSAS_ES As a manufacturer of… pic.twitter.com/tBjJXUiHm3
— Airbus Defense (@AirbusDefence) December 30, 2025
spanish contract
Türkiye Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün was one of the first to comment on the contract. “This agreement is a multi-dimensional, high-value-added defense industry export package that includes the export of Hürjet, an integrated training architecture covering advanced fighter pilot training, ground-based training and simulation systems, maintenance and sustainment infrastructure, and long-term operational support elements,” Görgün said.
Airbus highlighted its role as “national coordinator” for Spain and said that the main objective of the contract is “the replacement of the current fleet of F-5 aircraft and the coverage of the entire advanced training process for Spanish fighter pilots.”
This includes the acquisition of 30 Hürjet training aircraft from Turkish Aerospace, the “conversion of the fleet with Spanish content according to customer requirements, the creation of an Aircraft Conversion Center in Spain, the remodeling of the Training Center at the Fighter and Attack School of the Talavera la Real Air Base, Extremadura, and the provision of an integrated set of operation and maintenance services at this base.”
Airbus explained that the program includes two phases, which would be executed simultaneously. The first phase involves the delivery of 30 Hürjets “in their initial configuration”, which will be certified in Spain and delivered to the SASF between 2028 and 2029.
In the next phase, the 30 aircraft would undergo a “conversion” with “national content” and would be delivered in batches to the SASF from the second half of 2031 to 2035. The conversion of the first two aircraft will take place at the Airbus facility in Getafe, while the other 28 aircraft will be converted at the new Conversion Center to be established in Spain.
Strategic agreements have been signed for the export of HÜRJET to Spain with Airbus. ✈️
This development related to the export of our HÜRJET Jet Trainer aims to strengthen Türkiye’s position in the European aviation market through its advanced technological competence. pic.twitter.com/C28UH8Kfhn
— Turkish Aerospace (@TUSAS_EN) July 24, 2025
Airbus Head of Air Power Jean-Brice Dumont said in the press release: “This ambitious program seeks to create a next-generation combat training system in Spain that addresses the immediate needs of the Air and Space Force. It will also drive national industry participation, return on investment and capacity development, guaranteeing Spanish sovereignty throughout the process.”
The Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, had emphasized in the country’s Parliament about the economic, industrial and life cycle benefits of converting the aircraft in Spain into an assembly line with Spanish aerospace technology.
Spanish systems
The Airbus press release mentions some of the Spanish systems and technologies that would integrate the Hürjets, produced by several small and medium-sized aerospace companies. These include mission and training systems, remote interface units, audio management systems, avionics computers, mission recording or weapons simulators.
In addition, the creation of a new Ground Training System (GBTS) by Airbus, together with other Spanish companies, at the Talavera la Real Air Base is planned for 2028. This center will have different levels of simulation, including two mission simulators, virtual reality simulators, computer training and multipurpose rooms, among other systems.
This new comprehensive combat training system also includes a package of services to ensure the greatest availability of the new fleet, as well as the correct functioning of the Training Center and ground instruction.
🔵🇹🇷 HÜRJET heading to 🇪🇸Spain
🔸Up to 45 HÜRJET aircraft will be delivered in Spain. 🔸The aircraft will be produced at the TUSAŞ facilities, and the customization process to meet the needs of the Spanish Air Force will be carried out at the Airbus Defense and Space facilities. pic.twitter.com/m13uEKjBXt
— Turkish English Defense (@Defence_Turk_EN) September 24, 2025
Spanish and Turkish negotiation for Hürjet
Things began to move after Spain evaluated the Hürjet prototype between July and August 2024 at the Torrejón Air Base, near Madrid. A December 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was then signed between the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) of Turkey and the Spanish Ministry of Defense, in which the Hürjet was formally selected as a future trainer.
Then, in May 2025, TAI revealed the full-size model of the Hürjet with SASF markings for display at the Feindef 2025 exhibition in Spain. An agreement dated July 30, 2025 between TAI and Airbus Defense and Space at IDEF (International Defense Industry Fair) 2025, stated that 30 aircraft would be acquired for the Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF), with deliveries expected to begin in 2028.
The agreement clarified the roles of Airbus and TAI in the program. Airbus represented the group of Spanish companies that participated in the project, and this agreement allowed the Turkish and Spanish engineers to determine the subsystems that would go on the plane, while evaluating how each one would affect the cost and delivery times. As it turns out now, those discussions have concluded.
🇹🇷🇪🇸 | The HÜRJET jet training aircraft, of Turkish national production, was selected by the Spanish Air and Space Force for the purchase of 30 units. The project amounts to 2.6 billion euros and deliveries will begin in 2028.pic.twitter.com/aiKgooQh4h
– AlertaNewsPlus (@AlertaNewsPlus) December 29, 2025
A major concern was that a production line in Spain was not considered feasible for the small number of airframes Madrid plans to purchase, which was later reflected in the Spanish government’s approval on 24 September 2025 of 45 Hürjets. Spanish and Turkish industries would cooperate to develop the broader Integrated Training-Combat System (ITS-C) focused on the Hürjet for Spanish use.
The SASF Hürjets would be assigned to the 23rd Wing (Ala 23) of the Talavera La Real Air Base, which currently operates the 19 F-5Ms still in service. The F-5Ms are used to train pilots as part of the Fighter and Attack Phase to fly the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-18 (Spain does not use the F/A-18 designation for its Hornets).
