NATO to use Turkish military aircraft

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu has said that NATO will use the Turkish Hurkush aircraft for military purposes, Yeni Shafak reported on November 11.

Karaismailoglu stressed that this decision was taken as NATO recognizes Turkey’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as the civil aviation authority.

Describing the recognition as a historic step, Karaismailoglu emphasized that Hurkush approved by DGCA can be used by the NATO member countries for military purposes.

He said that DGCA was directly recognized as the civil aviation authority along with the authorities such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the Canadian Civil Aviation Directorate and the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency.

"With the recognition of DGCA as an approved civil aviation authority, the airworthiness of aviation vehicles, equipment and parts that have been given type certificates by DGCA will be accepted within NATO,” Karaismailoglu underlined.

He added that the airworthiness of civil operators and service providers to NATO in Turkey will be audited and authorized by DGCA on behalf of NATO.

The minister emphasized that the success, which will also positively affect the employment rate in the country, was achieved as a result of the coordinated work between DGCA and the Air Force Command.

Karaismailoglu described the recognition of DGCA as an important development for Turkey's civil aviation, noting that Gokbay is also expected to receive NATO’s approval following the Hurkush aircraft.

Furthermore, all aircraft and UAVs that will receive approval from DGCA in the future will also be evaluated within this scope and the certified aircraft parts and devices will also be recognized by NATO, he underlined.

 “The airworthiness certificates given by DGCA every year to the aircraft of Turkey’s airline companies such as TA and Sunexpress will also be recognized. Maintenance performed by relevant organizations supervised and authorized by DGCA will also be accepted by NATO. With this development, Turkey's aircraft will be able to be used in NATO services. It is considered that this situation will create additional employment,” he added.