𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 (Malaysia) 𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: "Spain to Acquire 45 Turkish Hürjet Jets in €3.68 Billion Deal, Reshaping NATO Airpower" + 𝗥𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱): "Turkey's nearshoring boom comes with a climate catch" + 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 (𝟮𝟲 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱): "Israel-Syria talks said to hit snag over Israeli demand for humanitarian corridor to Druze"
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Spain to Acquire 45 Turkish Hürjet Jets in €3.68 Billion Deal, Reshaping NATO Airpower
Spain’s €3.68 billion acquisition of Turkish Hürjet jets signals a new era in NATO defence cooperation, boosting Madrid’s Air and Space Force while validating Türkiye’s global aerospace ambitions.
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(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Spain has taken a decisive step in reshaping its airpower training ecosystem by approving the acquisition of up to 45 Turkish-made Hürjet advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft, a decision that reverberates far beyond Madrid and Ankara.
The €3.68 billion ($4.1 billion / RM19.4 billion) military modernization package, announced in Spain’s Official Gazette, represents one of the most ambitious aerospace collaborations between a European Union member and Türkiye.
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The Hürjet, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), is a supersonic, single-engine, tandem-seat advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft designed to fill a critical capability gap for modern air forces.
First launched as a private venture in July 2017, the Hürjet was conceived to replace the Turkish Air Force’s aging Northrop T-38 Talons and F-5 variants, platforms that had long exceeded their operational and technological relevance.
The aircraft completed its maiden flight on 25 April 2023, and by 2025 had successfully conducted more than 210 test sorties, routinely surpassing Mach 1 and proving its readiness for full operational integration.
This acquisition also reflects Spain’s determination to align its pilot training ecosystem with NATO’s next-generation air combat environment, ensuring seamless integration with platforms like the Eurofighter Typhoon, FCAS sixth-generation fighter, and potentially the Turkish Kaan in future joint exercises.
For Ankara, Spain’s procurement of the Hürjet provides critical geopolitical validation, reinforcing Türkiye’s ambitions to become a leading aerospace exporter while strengthening its influence in Europe at a time of shifting defence-industrial loyalties within NATO.
Analysts note that the partnership could evolve into deeper cooperation on unmanned combat aerial vehicles, avionics, and electronic warfare systems, potentially making Spain and Türkiye pivotal actors in shaping Europe’s airpower architecture over the next two decades.
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Technical Capabilities: A Modern Combat Trainer with Teeth
The Hürjet measures 13.6 meters in length with a 9.5-meter wingspan and is powered by a General Electric F404-GE-102 turbofan, a proven powerplant also used in Saab’s Gripen C/D and Korea’s FA-50.
It can reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.4, operate at a service ceiling of 45,000 feet, and has an operational range of 2,222 kilometers, making it suitable not just for advanced training but also for light combat operations.
The aircraft supports up to 3,000 kilograms of ordnance across seven hardpoints, capable of deploying Türkiye’s new-generation munitions including the Bozdoğan and Gökdoğan beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, the SOM stealth cruise missile, the HGK-82 laser-guided kit, and the SARB-83 penetrator bomb.
Its digital glass cockpit, full fly-by-wire flight control system, and embedded simulation suite enable seamless pilot progression from training to frontline fighters such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35 Lightning II, and Türkiye’s indigenous TF-X Kaan fifth-generation jet.
The Hürjet is not merely a trainer.
Its light combat variant is optimized for close air support, air policing, and tactical strike missions, a critical role for nations seeking versatile force multipliers at lower acquisition and sustainment costs.
Türkiye is also developing a navalized version for its future light aircraft carrier projects, complete with reinforced landing gear, carrier arrestor hooks, and corrosion-resistant coatings for maritime environments.
This adaptability makes the Hürjet uniquely appealing for NATO allies like Spain, where budgetary constraints demand platforms capable of both advanced training and combat roles.
Spain’s Imperative: Replacing the SF-5M Freedom Fighters
Spain’s decision was driven by the urgent requirement to replace its fleet of 19 Northrop SF-5M Freedom Fighters, in service since the early 1970s at Talavera la Real Air Base in Badajoz.
Despite undergoing two modernization phases and a life-extension program managed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the SF-5Ms are now technologically obsolete and nearing retirement by 2030.
Evaluations conducted at Torrejón Air Base in Madrid during July–August 2024 proved decisive, demonstrating the Hürjet’s supersonic performance, embedded simulation systems, and weapon integration versatility.
The retirement of the SF-5M fleet also underscores Spain’s strategic urgency to avoid a capability gap in advanced pilot training, particularly as its Eurofighter Typhoon squadrons prepare for eventual integration with the FCAS program by the early 2030s.
By opting for the Hürjet, Spain ensures that its future pilots will be trained on a supersonic platform capable of replicating complex air combat scenarios, reducing reliance on costly flight hours in frontline combat aircraft.
This decision also reflects a broader European trend of phasing out Cold War–era trainers in favor of digitally networked platforms, ensuring that Spain’s aircrews remain at the forefront of NATO-standard interoperability and mission readiness.
Industrial Collaboration: Airbus and TAI in Strategic Partnership
The acquisition package, valued at €1.04 billion ($1.2 billion / RM5.4 billion) for the aircraft alone, includes full life-cycle support, advanced pilot training modules, and partial domestic assembly in Spain.
Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS España) will spearhead Spanish industrial involvement, customizing avionics, mission software, and training systems to the Air and Space Force’s specifications.
This builds on a growing portfolio of cooperation between Spanish and Turkish firms, including TAI’s contract with Airtificial for 31 flight control systems and a local assembly arrangement for the F404 engine involving TEI, TAI, and GE Aerospace.
Deliveries are slated to commence in 2028, aligning with Spain’s broader modernization roadmap, which envisions the induction of 168 new aircraft and helicopters by 2030.
The collaboration not only secures high-value jobs within Spain’s aerospace sector but also embeds Madrid more deeply into Türkiye’s expanding defence-industrial supply chain, creating long-term economic and technological interdependence.
Commentary
Turkey's nearshoring boom comes with a climate catch
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CHEAP POWER
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INDUSTRIAL-SCALE IMPACT
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BUILDING MOMENTUM
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Thomson Reuters
Israel-Syria talks said to hit snag over Israeli demand for humanitarian corridor to Druze
Officials say Syrians rejected a request for a corridor to the Druze city Sweida, saying it would violate their sovereignty; renewed demand derails plan to announce deal this week
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BEIRUT — Efforts to reach a security pact between Syria and Israel have hit a last-minute snag over Israel’s demand that it be allowed to open a “humanitarian corridor” to Syria’s southern province of Sweida, four sources familiar with the talks said.
Syria and Israel had come close in recent weeks to agreeing on the broad outlines of a pact after months of US-brokered talks in Baku, Paris and London that accelerated in the lead-up to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
The pact was intended to create a demilitarized zone that would include the province of Sweida, where sectarian violence in July killed hundreds of people from the Druze, an offshoot of Islam.
Israel says it will protect Syria’s Druze
Israel, which has a 120,000-strong Druze minority whose men serve in the Israeli military, has said it will protect the sect and carried out military strikes in Syria under the banner of defending it.
In earlier talks in Paris, Israel asked to open a land corridor to Sweida for aid, but Syria rejected the request as a breach of its sovereignty.
Israel reintroduced the demand at a late stage in the talks, according to two Israeli officials, a Syrian source and a source in Washington briefed on the talks.
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The Syrian source and the source in Washington said the renewed Israeli demand had derailed plans to announce a deal this week. The new sticking point has not been previously reported.
The State Department, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syria’s foreign ministry did not respond to questions on the contours of the deal or the sticking points.
No talks since last week
US envoy Tom Barrack, who has been brokering the talks between Syria and Israel, said on Tuesday the longtime foes were close to striking a “de-escalation agreement” in which Israel would stop its attacks and Syria would agree not to move any machinery or heavy equipment near the border with Israel.
He said it would serve as the first step towards the security deal that the two countries have been negotiating. One diplomat familiar with the matter said it appeared that the US was “scaling down from a security deal to a de-escalation deal.”
Speaking shortly before Barrack at an event in New York, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda leader who led rebel forces that seized Damascus last year, expressed concern that Israel may be stalling the talks.
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“We are scared of Israel. We are worried about Israel. It’s not the other way around,” he said.
A Syrian official told Reuters that conversations before the UN General Assembly began were “positive,” but there had been no further conversations with Israeli officials this week.
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Addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu said, “the very idea of peace between Israel and Syria seemed unimaginable” for decades, but that “we have begun serious negotiations with the new Syrian government. I believe an agreement can be reached that respects Syria’s sovereignty and protects both Israeli security and the security of the minorities in the region, including the Druze minority.”
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The prime minister’s office said on Wednesday that concluding ongoing negotiations was “contingent on ensuring the interests of Israel, which include, inter alia, the demilitarization of south-western Syria and preserving the safety and security of the Druze in Syria.”
Syria and Israel have been foes since Israel’s founding in 1948. A disengagement agreement in 1974 created a narrow demilitarized zone monitored by the United Nations.
But since rebels toppled Syria’s then-leader Bashar al-Assad last December 8, Israel has carried out unprecedented strikes on Syria’s military assets across the country and sent troops into a buffer zone on country’s south.
Israel has expressed open hostility towards Sharaa, citing his former links to al Qaeda, and has lobbied the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized.
In months of talks, Syria had been advocating for a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement. In mid-September, Sharaa described the deal to journalists as a “necessity.” He said then that Israel would need to respect Syria’s airspace and territorial unity, but raised the possibility of Israeli breaches.
“We could reach a deal at any moment, but then another problem arises which is: will Israel commit to and implement it? We will see this in the next phase,” he said.