World Bulletin / News Desk

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a ceremony for the unveiling of Turkey's first-ever indigenous training plane, Hurkus, of Turkish aviation company TUSAS.

Delivering a speech at the ceremony in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan said that Turkish Armed Forces was one of the most experienced armies in the world. "Now, we furnish the Armed Forces with our own manufacture, technicians and engineers," he said.

Erdogan said that TUSAS has become one of the top 100 defense companies in the world this year.

The aircraft, Hurkus, or "The Freebird," is a tandem two-seat, low wing, single engine, turboprop aircraft. It is developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) as a new basic trainer and ground attack aircraft for the Turkish Armed Forces. The aircraft is named after Vecihi Hurkus, Turkey's first aviator.

The TAI Hurkus Development Program started with an agreement signed between Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries and TAI in March 2006.