First steps fighter plane belonging to the 15th Fighter Battalion at the
Battle of Gallipoli (1915) during
World War I. The history of
Ottoman military aviation dates back to between 20 June 1909 and 1 July 1911. In 1911 the former commander of the
Action Army Mahmud Sevket Pasa achieved to send some Turkish military officers to the French
Bleriot aviation school. The fleet size reached its apex in December 1916, when the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons had 90 active combat aircraft. Some early help for the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons came from the
Imperial German Fliegertruppe (known by that name before October 1916), with future
Central Powers 13-victory
flying ace Hans-Joachim Buddecke flying with the Turks early in World War I as just one example. The General Inspectorate of Air Forces (
Kuva-yı Havaiye Müfettiş-i Umumiliği) By July 1918, the Aviation Squadrons were reorganized as the General Inspectorate of Air Forces. After the
Armistice of Mudros and the occupation of the
Ottoman Empire by the
Allies in 1919, some Turkish aviators tried to build new units in
Istanbul,
İzmir, Konya,
Elazığ and
Diyarbakır with planes left over from World War I and tried to bring together flight personnel.
Inspectorate of Air Forces became the world's first female fighter pilot in 1937.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in
Istanbul is named after her. After the establishment of the
Republic of Turkey on 29 October 1923, plans were made to form a modern air force. Originally consisting of three normal and one naval aviation units, and an air school, the number of units was increased to 10 normal and three naval aviation units. Starting in 1924, personnel were sent abroad for flight education. The Inspectorate of Air Forces was reorganized as the Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Defense in 1928 and new schools were found for non-pilot personnel.---> The
Air War College (
Hava Harp Akademisi) was established in 1937. Turkey did not enter World War II on the side of the
Allies until February 1945. However, the Turkish Armed Forces went on full alert and were prepared for war following the military alliance between neighbouring
Bulgaria and the
Axis Powers which was formalized in March 1941, and the occupation of neighbouring Greece by the Axis Powers in April 1941. Within a year, Turkey's borders were surrounded by German forces in the northwest and west, and Italian forces in the southwest. The Turkish Air Force made daily reconnaissance flights over Bulgaria, Greece, the Greek Islands in the
Aegean Sea, and the
Dodecanese Islands which then belonged to Italy, to monitor the positions of the Axis forces. The large cities in western Turkey were darkened at nights, and anti-aircraft guns and searchlights were deployed for defence against possible enemy planes. Almost all available money in the Turkish Government Treasury was used to purchase new weapons from any available provider in the world. The Turkish Air Force received large numbers of new aircraft in this period, including
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I/V/IX/XIX,
Curtiss Falcon CW-22R/B,
Fairey Battle-I,
Avro Anson-I,
Hawker Hurricane I/II,
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406,
Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk,
Westland Lysander-I,
Consolidated B-24D Liberator B-24,
Bristol Blenheim IV/V,
Bristol Beaufort,
Bristol Beaufighter Mk.I/X,
Focke-Wulf Fw 190-A3,
Martin 187 Baltimore,
De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito Mk.III/IV,
Douglas B-26B/C Invader,
P-47D Thunderbolt and
Douglas C-47A/B Dakota. The Air Machinist School (
Hava Makinist Okulu) was reorganized as Aircraft Maintenance School (
Hava Uçak Bakım Okulu) on 2 January 1950 to unite schools responsible for training non-pilot Air Force personnel. In 1956 the
Hava Eğitim Kolordu Komutanlığı (Air Education Corps Command) was founded and all education was united under this command. The command was renamed as
Hava Eğitim Komutanlığı (Air Education Command) in 1957. the Air Force was reorganized. The upgraded aircraft were delivered between 1999 and 2003; of these, 26 aircraft were upgraded in Israel and the remaining 28 were upgraded in Turkey. The Turkish Air Force has received a total of 270
F-16C/D aircraft in its inventory, all of them Block 30/40/50 models. with $45 billion earmarked for the overhaul of the Turkish Air Force, and included the commissioning new combat aircraft (consisting of multi-role and fifth generation stealth fighters) and helicopters (consisting of heavy lift, attack, medium lift and light general purpose helicopters). Turkey provided 18 F-16s for the
NATO campaign against Serbia during
Operation Allied Force in 1999. Of these, 11
TAI-built F-16s were stationed at the NATO base in
Aviano, Italy, while the other 7 were based in
Ankara, Turkey. All were equipped with laser-guided bombs using the
LANTIRN night vision system. Turkish jets had previously patrolled Balkan airspace, providing protection for attacking aircraft. During this allied air campaign,
TAI-built F-16s set a world
CAP record by patrolling for 9 hours and 22 minutes above the Balkan theatre. Normally,
CAP missions last between 3 and 4 hours. Turkey participated in the
United Nations peacekeeping mission in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, employing two squadrons (one in the
Ghedi fighter wing, and after 2000 one in the
Aviano fighter wing). On 23 March 2014, a Turkish F-16 shot down a Syrian
MiG-23 near the Turkey-Syria border; the Syrian pilot was reported to have safely
ejected from the aircraft. On 24 November 2015, a Turkish F-16
shot down a Russian
Su-24 strike aircraft which, according to Turkish authorities, had violated Turkish airspace by crossing the Turkey-Syria border. The Russian government contested those claims, stating that the aircraft never entered Turkish airspace. The pilot and navigator both ejected from the aircraft; the navigator was rescued, but the pilot was shot and killed by Syrian rebel ground fire while descending by parachute. The incident sparked a crisis in Turkey's relations with Russia, which were
restored in 2016 when Turkish President Erdoğan expressed his regret and condolences to Russian President Putin. Other important air strikes by the Turkish Air Force in recent years include
Operation Euphrates Shield (2016–2017),
Operation Olive Branch (2018–2019),
Operation Peace Spring (2019),
Turkish intervention in Libya (2020),
Operation Spring Shield (2020), and
Operation Claw Sword (2022).
Turkish Air Force and NATO flies into position to make contact with the boom of a
USAF KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the
134th Air Refueling Wing during
Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 near
Kallax Air Base,
Sweden The Turkish Air Force contributes personnel and aircraft to the command centers and air bases of
NATO and actively participates in the exercises of the alliance in Europe and North America. The headquarters of NATO's
Allied Air Component Command for
Southern Europe (formerly designated as AIRSOUTH and originally headquartered in
Naples, Italy) was established in
İzmir, Turkey, on 11 August 2004.
Allied Air Command İzmir was deactivated on 1 June 2013, when the
Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) at the
Ramstein Air Base in Germany became the sole Allied Air Component Command of NATO. Turkey is one of five NATO member states which are part of the
nuclear sharing policy of the alliance, together with Belgium,
Germany, Italy, and the
Netherlands. A total of 90
B61 nuclear bombs are hosted at the
Incirlik Air Base, 40 of which are allocated for use by the Turkish Air Force in case of a nuclear conflict, but their use requires the approval of NATO.
Turkish Aerobatics Teams s, 1960s After the first
aerobatics formation in the history of the Turkish Air Force was performed by Lt. Gen. Fazıl Bey on March 5, 1914, at an altitude of 1312 feet, other Turkish pilots also tried various acrobatic moves. The first "official"
aerobatics studies within the Turkish Air Force, which quickly took its place in world aviation history in terms of aerobatics, began in 1926 at the
Turkish Air Force Acacemy. This group, which was formed under the leadership of flight instructor Plt. Gen. Enver Akoğlu and included Plt. Gen.
Tekin Arıburun, carried out extremely successful studies. The first aerobatics team in the Turkish Air Force, which was suitable for today's modern and advanced technology aviation approach, was established in 1952 under the name "
Milli" (National) immediately after the transition to the jet era. This acroteam, which was established at the 9th Air Base Command in Balıkesir, the first jet base of the Turkish Air Force, used the
F-84G Thunderbird. This first team, call sign "
Milli", which operated between 1952 and 1962, achieved significant successes. The acrobatic team named
Milli, which performed numerous flight displays in Turkey, managed to make a name for itself with the shows it organized primarily in Italy and Belgium. The call sign of the second acrobatic team in history, established in 1955 at the
4th Air Base Command in Ankara, was "
Uçan Kuğular" (Flying Swans) Using
F-86E Sabre aircraft painted in red and white with swan motifs embroidered on the nose sections, this aerobatics team continued its activities for 10 years. "
Uçan Kuğular" gained an important place in Turkish and world aviation history with the 9 and 12 shows it performed in 1964. The aerobatics team, call sign "
Akrep" (Scorpion) established towards the end of 1957 at the 8th Air Base Command in Diyarbakır and being the third Turkish
aerobatics team in history; It continued its activities until 1959. The acro team, whose aircraft type was
F-84G, participated in various shows both in Turkey and abroad (Pakistan). The fourth acro team in Turkish aviation history, bearing the call sign "
Yarasalar", was established in 1964 at the 5th Main Jet Base Command in
Merzifon. This acro team, whose aircraft type was
F-86E Sabre and whose aircraft were painted with a special motif in black and white, operated for 2 years and performed 5, 9 and 12 aerobatics shows. This acro team, which was established in 1966 and called “
Kartal” (Eagle) from 1966 to 1971, received the call sign “
Coşkun” (Enthusiastic) after the death of Lit. Coşkun Turan, who was on duty in the team, during a mission flight on 21 May 1971. The aircraft type of the acro team, established at the
Bandırma 6th Main Jet Base Command, is the
F-5A Freedom Fighter. The acro team, called “
Coşkun”, performed flight demonstrations in Turkey and around the world (1971 in Italy). No continuously active acroteam was established between 1971 and 1992. aircraft of the
Turkish Stars during a demonstration flight at
Kecskemét Air Base,
Hungary, 2010 After a 20-year hiatus, the Turkish Air Force decided to establish an acroteam again and started activities to implement the project in 1992. In accordance with the directives of the
Commander of the Turkish Air Force, Gen. Halis Burhan, work was started for the establishment of an acroteam in 1992 and approval was received for the establishment of an acroteam within the 132nd Weapon Tactics and Standardized Squadron Command at the Konya 3rd Main Jet Base on 11 September 1992. While the establishment and examination studies were continuing rapidly, the order to establish an acroteam consisting of four
NF-5 wings within the 132nd Squadron was issued on 7 November 1992. In the meantime, the selection of the first four pilots who would constitute the core of the acroteam was made. In 1993, double training was started and the planned acrobatic movements were tried and the desired result was achieved after a flight of five sorties. Later, training of right and left wing fliers was started and quadruple training was started. In the meantime, some of the personnel working in the acroteam were sent to England, Canada and Italy to conduct research on the subject. In order to fulfill the acroteam duty with more safety and efficiency, a study was started on April 27, 1993, for the modifications to be made on the NF-5 aircraft, primarily the smoke system and painting of the aircraft, to increase flight safety. While the studies were ongoing, on June 18, 1993, the closing day of the Turkish Air Force Command Shooting Competitions, the
Turkish Stars acroteam performed its first official display as a quartet to state dignitaries and other guests at the
4th Main Jet Base Command in Ankara. Following this display the
Turkish Stars, which gained fleet status, managed to make a name for itself as the youngest supersonic acrobatic team in the world. In August 1993, the aircraft modification/painting activities were initiated by the
1st Main Jet Base Command and Maintenance Center Command in Eskişehir. During this process, five- and six-wing flight training was also initiated. The modifications and changes made to the 9
NF-5 and 1
NF-5B aircraft allocated to the
Turkish Stars acroteam were completed in July 1994 and delivered to the unit. ==Equipment==