Turkey and Spain held a signing ceremony in Madrid on Tuesday for the export of Turkey’s domestically developed Hürjet advanced jet trainer, formalizing a deal previously agreed between the two NATO allies, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The signing ceremony was held at Airbus facilities in Madrid and attended by senior officials from both countries, including head of the Presidency of the Defense Industry Haluk Görgün, Spain’s Secretary of State for Defense María Amparo Valcarce and representatives from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Airbus.
The agreement, first reached in December 2025, requires the delivery of 30 Hürjet aircraft to the Spanish Air Force as part of efforts to modernize its training fleet and replace aging F-5 jets.
The deal, which will be Turkey’s first export of a jet aircraft to a NATO ally, is valued at €2.6 billion ($3 billion).
HÜRJET'in İspanya'ya ihracatında imzalar atıldı.
TUSAŞ tarafından üretilen milli jet eğitim uçağının ihracatı için, Madrid’teki Airbus tesislerinde imza töreni düzenlendi.https://t.co/n3DB2rW6PT pic.twitter.com/EEA5iugPGr
— TRT HABER (@trthaber) April 28, 2026
Under the program, the aircraft will be used to train fighter pilots, with production shared between the two countries. Some jets will be manufactured in Turkey and delivered to Spain, while others will be assembled locally with contributions from Spanish industry.
Görgün described the ceremony as marking the start of a new phase in defense cooperation, saying the project will deepen ties between Ankara and Madrid and could serve as a model for future joint programs within NATO.
Spanish officials talked about the strategic importance of the deal, pointing to its role in strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and industrial base.
Valcarce said the agreement reflected a “strategic and sustainable plan,” adding that cooperation with Turkey, which she described as a “reliable partner,” would give new momentum to Spain’s defense industry.
Jean-Brice Dumont, head of Air Power at Airbus Defense and Space, said the first aircraft are expected to be delivered starting in 2028, with the jets entering service for training between 2029 and 2030.
Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by 2035.
Airbus is involved as the Spanish industrial partner, supporting local production and integration under the joint program.
The ceremony builds on earlier cooperation between the two countries on the Hürjet platform. In addition to the aircraft deal, Turkey is also set to export a full-mission flight simulator developed by HAVELSAN to support pilot training and mission preparation.
Developed by TAI, the Hürjet is a twin-seat, single-engine supersonic jet designed for advanced pilot training and light attack missions. The aircraft made its maiden flight in April 2023 and is expected to replace Turkey’s aging trainer fleet in the coming decade.
The Hürjet will compete with Boeing’s T-7, Korea Aerospace Industries’ T-50 and Leonardo’s M-346 in the export market.
The deal is part of an expansion of Turkey’s defense exports.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the country’s arms exports have increased more than tenfold over the past two decades, driven by growth in sectors such as drones, armored vehicles and naval systems.