The head of the Turkish Defense Industries Corporation, Ismail Demir, announced on Saturday the start of ground tests of the jet training aircraft "Forest" developed with local expertise, some of which are expected to be armed to become light attack.

Demir posted on his Twitter account a video of the first test of the plane.

Dün Bismillah dedik bugün Maşallah!

MMU’dan sonra HÜRJET de piste çıktı. 🇹🇷✈️

Yerli ve milli jet uçağımız koşmaya başladı gökyüzüne kavuşmak için gün sayıyor. Emeği geçen herkesi tebrik ediyorum. Bu gurur hepimizin.@TUSAS_TR pic.twitter.com/X6Au7sXl2p

— Ismail Demir (@IsmailDemirSSB) March 18, 2023

"Yesterday we said in the name of God, and today is what God wills! Our local and national jets are starting to run, and they are counting down to the sky."

Demir thanked everyone who contributed to the manufacture and testing of the aircraft, noting that it came out on the runway one day after the exit of the national fighter "MMU".

In 2017, the Turkish Aerospace and Aerospace Industries Company (TUSAS) launched a training jet project called "Harajit", with the aim of training future pilots.

The aircraft will replace its T38 counterpart, which the Turkish Air Force uses to train its pilots.

Some of the Harajit aircraft are expected to be armed as light attack aircraft, used to provide air support in Turkey and nearby areas.