Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) continues to add new capabilities to the HÜRKUŞ Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft.
HÜRKUŞ test pilot Murat Özpala announced the development from his social media account and also shared a photo. According to the information in the photo, HÜRKUŞ, tail number 23-112, produced in 2023, performed a test flight with two external fuel tanks under the wing. During the flight performed by Test Pilot Murat Özpala, HÜRKUŞ remained in the air for five hours. TUSAŞ continues to work on certifying the external fuel tanks for the HÜRKUŞ.
Test Pilot Özpala drew attention to the advantage of the external fuel tank with a question. Reminding that TUSAŞ designed the EFT, Özpala said, "The F-16 starts the engine, taxis to the take-off point, takes off with the afterburner and consumes approximately 750 litres (1,200 lbs) of fuel for these tasks, which can be completed in five minutes." Özpala then asked, "How many minutes can a HÜRKUŞ fly with the same amount of fuel?"
Özpala confirmed that 300 minutes was the correct answer.
