Recent statements by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) regarding the development of a naval variant of the HÜRJET advanced trainer and light combat aircraft open a strategically significant window for Spain. This development comes at a time when Madrid is actively evaluating the construction of a future conventional aircraft carrier and has already signed an agreement to acquire up to 30 HÜRJET aircraft — designated Saeta II — for the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio. While these initiatives are officially treated as separate programmes, their convergence in timing, industrial cooperation, and operational logic suggests a potentially deeper strategic linkage.
TUSAŞ CEO Dr. Mehmet Demiroğlu recently confirmed that Turkey is awaiting a formal order from the Turkish Navy for a carrier-capable HÜRJET, as part of Ankara’s Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Project. Alongside two prototypes currently flying, four additional airframes are under construction, with design work already underway to adapt the platform for maritime operations. These efforts focus on structural reinforcement, strengthened landing gear, arrestor hook integration, corrosion protection, and compatibility with ski-jump assisted take-off profiles. This confirms that HÜRJET is evolving beyond its original advanced training mission into a fully multi-role platform capable of supporting fixed-wing naval aviation.
In parallel, Spain is reassessing its long-term naval aviation posture. The Spanish Navy faces the approaching retirement of its AV-8B Harrier II Plus fleet during the 2030s, combined with the absence of a direct STOVL replacement following the decision not to pursue the F-35B. At the same time, strategic planning increasingly points toward the construction of a future conventional aircraft carrier, potentially larger and more capable than the current Juan Carlos I amphibious assault ship. In this context, the availability of a light, affordable, navalised supersonic aircraft such as HÜRJET introduces a new operational and financial equation.
Spain’s acquisition of up to 30 HÜRJET aircraft under the Saeta II programme is officially framed as an advanced trainer and lead-in fighter solution for the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio. However, the platform’s inherent capabilities — including supersonic performance, modern avionics, multi-mode radar, secure data links, and weapons integration — provide it with credible secondary roles in air policing, light strike, and maritime security missions. When combined with the emerging naval variant, this raises the possibility that Spain is deliberately positioning itself inside the HÜRJET ecosystem to retain long-term access to future carrier-capable configurations.
From an operational standpoint, a conventional aircraft carrier equipped with catapult or ski-jump launch systems would face major budgetary, logistical, and political barriers if tasked with operating heavy multirole fighters such as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Rafale M, or F-35C. By contrast, a navalised HÜRJET would offer significantly lower acquisition and life-cycle costs, reduced maintenance complexity, and a smaller logistical footprint. Such a solution would allow Spain to preserve organic fixed-wing naval aviation capability while avoiding the financial burden associated with high-end carrier aviation, creating a more sustainable long-term force structure.
The deepening defence-industrial relationship between Spain and Turkey further reinforces this strategic logic. Spain represents a highly valuable European naval partner for Turkey, offering political credibility within NATO and access to a mature maritime operational culture. Spain’s advanced shipbuilding sector, led by Navantia, brings decades of experience in the design and construction of aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and complex naval combatants. Additionally, the Spanish Navy contributes substantial expertise in carrier and expeditionary operations, accumulated through over four decades of continuous Harrier-based naval aviation. This combination makes Spain an ideal partner for the development, validation, and operational refinement of a future naval HÜRJET.
From Spain’s perspective, participation in the HÜRJET programme may offer more than simply a modern training aircraft. It provides early exposure to a potential future naval fighter ecosystem, access to evolving carrier compatibility solutions, and industrial opportunities that could feed directly into its own aircraft carrier ambitions. This dual-track approach preserves strategic flexibility while keeping costs under control — a critical factor in today’s constrained European defence budgets.
While no official statements currently confirm a direct link between Spain’s carrier project and the naval HÜRJET programme, the strategic alignment is increasingly difficult to ignore. Spain appears to be methodically rebuilding its fixed-wing naval aviation knowledge base, securing long-term access to affordable carrier-capable platforms, and maintaining operational continuity beyond the Harrier era. In this sense, Saeta II may represent far more than a trainer acquisition — it could well form the foundation of Spain’s next-generation carrier air wing.
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