Turkey forgets the Hürjet fighter deal: buys British C-130Js instead of Spanish A400Ms

The purchase of 45 TAI Hurjet fighter jets by Spain continues to be a source of controversy, and not only because of its exorbitant price.

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On Wednesday you could read here the unusual cost overrun of Spain's purchase of the Hürjet fighter jets, a program that in June was going to cost 1.375 billion euros for 28 or 30 Hürjet fighters and that has ended up rising to 3.120 billion euros (126% more) for 45 aircraft (a fleet 50% larger). I already commented that this contract gave the impression that it will serve to have Spanish taxpayers pay for the promotion of the TAI Hürjet in Europe, an aircraft that is still in the development phase. But the Turkish business with this contract doesn't end there.

Today we have learned a new detail related to this matter. Defensa.com reports: "Spain will have the Hürjet, but will not sell its A400Ms to the Turks". The long-established magazine specializing in military affairs points to a news item that broke a few days ago: Turkey has purchased 12 British C-130J Super Hercules to complete its transport aircraft fleet. The RAF retired its last C-130Js from service on June 30, 2023. The UK operated 24 of these aircraft. With this contract, Turkey is buying half of the British Super Hercules fleet.

It should be recalled that in July 2024, Turkish sources released details of a negotiation between the Spanish and Turkish governments to exchange 24 Hurjets for 6 Spanish A400Ms. The potential exchange was presented as an incentive for Spain to purchase the Turkish fighter jet, thus providing an outlet for the surplus A400M transport aircraft that Spain had decided to sell. At the end of 2023, South Korea had ruled out a similar swap, which would have allowed the exchange of South Korean KT-1 and T-50 training aircraft for Spanish transport aircraft.

On August 1, 2024, Infobae reported that the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be willing to acquire up to 6 Spanish A400Ms if, in exchange, Spain committed to incorporating 24 Hürjet aircraft. It would have been an exchange that would have provided an outlet for those surplus A400Ms that Spain has been trying to sell to other countries for years, so far without success, and for Turkey it would be a great favor since the Hürjet did not have any foreign operator: Spain would have helped to promote it, by betting on an aircraft in the process of development.

It should be noted that, as Defensa.com announced at the time, in April 2022 Turkey completed its fleet of 10 A400Ms purchased directly from Airbus. Turkey's purchase of the 12 British C-130Js closes the door to an exchange with Spain, since the Asian country has no need for more transport aircraft.

It should be remembered that Spain has maintained a Patriot battery in Turkey since 2015, assuming the costs of Turkish defense against possible attacks from both the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria (now overthrown) and ISIS terrorists (who have not launched missiles against Turkey since 2016). In June 2024, the Spanish Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, declared himself Turkey's best ally in Europe, while the Erdogan government openly supported Hamas terrorists after their brutal attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. It should be remembered that in 2021, Sánchez's support for Turkey already cost the Spanish company Navantia its chances of being excluded from a tender to sell frigates to Greece.

Given the corruption scandals affecting the Spanish government and the incomprehensible deal it has made with the purchase of the Hürjet from Turkey, it is logical to ask: if this purchase of fighter jets at a huge cost overrun only benefits Turkey, what motivated the Sánchez government to approve it? What benefit does Spain gain from all this? Or rather, who in Spain will benefit from this purchase at such an unprecedentedly high price?

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Main photo: Ejército del Aire.