Spain has contracted Airbus Defence & Space and Turkish Aerospace to deliver a new advanced jet training system for the country’s air force, including the supply of 30 of the latter’s Hurjet trainers.

Designed to replace Madrid’s fleet of outdated Northrop F-5 fleet, the Hurjets will arrive in an initial configuration over the 2028-2029 period.

Those aircraft will then be adapted with Spanish-specific content and redelivered to the air force from the second half of 2031 until 2035.

A first pair of Hurjets will be modified at Airbus’s existing facilities in Getafe, near Madrid, while conversion of the remainder will take place at an as-yet undisclosed site to be established elsewhere in Spain.

The modification process includes the installation of Spanish-developed mission and training systems, remote interface units, audio management systems, avionics computers, and mission recording or weapon simulators.

Airbus will also develop a new ground-based training system, alongside other Spanish providers, to come on-stream from 2028 at Talavera la Real air base in the southwest of the country.

A services and support package is included as part of the contract. Governmental approval for the acquisition of up to 45 Hurjets was granted in September.

Separately, the Spanish defence ministry has selected Airbus and Indra to conduct an 18-month ”conceptual definition study” for a future signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft.

Under the agreement, the pair will carry out ”analysis and definition” of the most suitable platform and SIGINT systems ”to provide a national solution” for the requirement. 

Based around a three-aircraft fleet, Airbus will later perform modify the chosen platform ”to implement and industrialise the signals intelligence system proposed by Indra.” No timeframe has been disclosed for fielding the new aircraft.