Turkish-made training airplane Hürkuş breaks speed record

ANKARA/ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A Turkish-made basic training aircraft called the Hürkuş, which was designed and manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), set a record high speed of 659 kilometers per hour on Feb. 28 in a test flight in Ankara. 

The two-seat Hürkuş began a dive from 27,000 feet (9,000 meters) at the test site, reaching a top speed of 659 km per hour during the dive. 

The Hürkuş was accompanied by an F-16D owned by the Turkish Air Force.

Hürkuş test flights are currently planned to be completed by May and the aircraft is waiting for certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). All of the test details and results are shared with the EASA. Any aerial vehicle which is approved by the EASA can be commercially sold and used for passenger or cargo transportation.  

TAI has completed a significant portion of its work on the Hürkuş-B, a military training model, for the Turkish Air Force, after it launched the Hürkuş-A. 

The Hürkuş-B model’s montage will start in April to make its first flight in December 2017. First delivery is planned in June 2018.