It is known that Turkey has the HÜRKUŞ training aircraft which is also a close air support aircraft.
Recently, the Turks, wanting to upgrade its capabilities in providing close air support fire for their army, have conducted a series of tests of their national weapon systems on it.
The philosophy of the "neighbours" is that manned and unmanned aerial vehicles developed by their defence industry should be equipped with national weapons and ammunition.
In this context, weapon systems, sensors and ammunition developed by defense companies such as ASELSAN, Roketsan and TÜBİTAK SAGE are integrated into Turkish aircraft.
The Turks are 'focusing' on HÜRKUŞ-C
One of the aircraft on which these integration activities are focused is the HÜRKUŞ.
The Turkish Aerospace Industry designed the new-generation advanced training and light attack aircraft, HÜRKUŞ, for use at all levels between basic and advanced flight training , as well as for performing close air support missions in ground operations.
The HÜRKUŞ variant continues to be developed to provide a low-cost, highly functional, effective and flexible solution against asymmetric threats on the battlefields of today's world.
The armed variant, called HÜRKUŞ-C, has a large payload capacity of up to 750 kg for missions that must be carried out at high altitudes and in difficult geographic areas, in day and night conditions.
In the meantime, successful flight/shooting tests have been carried out to integrate various ammunition and equipment into the HÜRKUŞ-C.
HÜRKUŞ, incorporated national ammunition such as the L-UMTAS Laser Guided Long Range Anti-Tank Missile System produced by Roketsan, the CİRİT Laser Guided Missile, the MAM-L Mini Smart Ammunition and the TOGAN Weapon System developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE.
The HÜRKUŞ-C, developed by EHSİM was integrated providing protection against guided missiles in a multi-threat environment, thus gaining the ability to protect against heat-sensitive missiles.
Finally, the Laser Guidance Kit (LGK)-81 was incorporated into the HÜRKUŞ, which transforms the 250-pound MK-81 general-purpose bomb into an economical and smart munition with a high-precision strike capability.
HÜRKUŞ successfully hit its target with the LGK-81 produced by ASELSAN in the tests conducted in Ikonio 2 weeks ago.
The LGK provides greater hit accuracy on stationary/moving targets, extended firing envelope, lower secondary/side damage and the ability to change targets in the air after firing.
Thanks to the LGK, the munitions are guided by the laser energy reflected from the target, the seeker detects the laser light reflected from the target and the blades accurately direct the bomb to the target marked by the laser.
The next target is the HÜRKUŞ's 12.7 mm heavy machine gun armament
The HÜRKUŞ-C will soon carry a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on its lower end.
The incorporation of heavy machine guns will give the HÜRKUŞ-C a greatly increased capability to provide close air support (NAF) fire support to ground forces.
For this project, TRMEKATRONİK created a 12.7 mm SARSILMAZ machine gun capable of firing 1100 rounds per minute and integrated it into the pod.
It is finally expected that the aircraft, which is an advanced variant in line with the requirements of the 135th Search and Rescue Combat Fleet based at Konya's 3rd Main Aircraft Base, will offer significant advantages with its low operating costs.
The importance of the HÜRKUŞ EOD provision in Evro-Aegean
The provision (SSA) in simple terms, means that when conducting Turkish land offensive operations or air operations in Evros, as well as amphibious-landing-air operations on our islands, Turkish drones, attack helicopters as well as HÜRKUS light aircraft , will attempt to act as a force multiplier in missions to attack friendly entrenched units near the POT (forward location boundary) or their direct reserves.
Greece's response to the acquisition of the A-10 Warthog from the USA
Any acquisition by Greece of US A-10 Warthogs would have multiple benefits for Greece, either for shooting down Turkish drones or destroying their tank-tomah-tomah-tomah tanks.
This particular aircraft "photographs" we would say the Turkish mechanized and armored brigades in Evros, but also the Turkish Marine Brigade, the airborne forces and mechanized-armored followers of the first landing waves of Turkish forces that will "descend" on our islands to occupy them, as well as the numerous Turkish UAVs, UCAVs.
As we understand any acquisition of even a single digit number of A-10s by Greece would sharply upgrade our deterrent power in Evros and the islands, being the fear and terror of Turkish ground forces and Turkish drones.
