Turkish Air Force

Turkish Air Force
Türk Hava Kuvvetleri
Emblem of the Turkish Air Force
Founded
    • 1 June 1911
    • (113 years, 2 months)
    (as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons)
  • 23 April 1920 (Turkish Air Force)[1]
  • 31 January 1944 (Turkish Air Force Command, corps scale) [2]
  • 1 July 1949 (Turkish Air Force Command, army scale) [3]
CountryTurkey
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size50,000 active personnel
Part ofTurkish Armed Forces
HeadquartersÇankaya, Ankara
Colours
  •   Grey
  •   White
  •   Blue
MarchTurkish Air Force March
Mascot(s)Eagle[a][4]
Anniversaries1 June[5]
EngagementsList of conflicts involving Turkey
Websitewww.hvkk.tsk.tr Edit this at Wikidata
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefPresident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Minister of DefenceYaşar Güler
Chief of the General StaffGeneral Metin Gürak
Air Force CommanderGeneral Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu
Chief of Air StaffLieutenant General Rafet Dalkıran
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Flag of Turkish Air Force Command
Aviator badge
Aircraft flown
AttackAkıncı, Aksungur, Anka-S, Bayraktar TB2, Bayraktar TB3
BomberF-4E
Electronic
warfare
ATR 72, B-737
FighterF-16C/D
ReconnaissanceBaykuş, Gözcü, Heron, IHA-X2, Keklik, Malazgirt, Martı, Şimşek, TB1, Turna, Vestel Karayel
TrainerF-5F, Hürkuş, SF-260, T-38, KT-1
TransportA400M, C-130, C-160, CH-47, CN-235, KC-135
TankerBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker

The Turkish Air Force (Turkish: Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) or TuAF is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire.[6] It was composed of the Army Aviation Squadrons founded in 1911, and the Naval Aviation Squadrons founded in 1914 which used seaplanes. The Air Force as a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces was founded by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 23 April 1920.[1]

In 1998, the Turkish Armed Forces announced a program of modernization worth US$160 billion over a twenty-year period in various projects,[7] 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).[8]

As of 2023, according to International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Turkish Air Force has an active strength of 50,000 military personnel and operates approximately 295 manned fixed-wing aircraft, 35 helicopters, and 52 unmanned aerial vehicles.[9]: 143–144  In terms of aircraft quantity, it is the largest air force in Europe.[9]: 51 

The world's first black pilot, Ahmet Ali Çelikten,[10] and the world's first female fighter pilot, Sabiha Gökçen,[11] and the first female jet pilot accredited in the NATO is Leman Altınçekiç, they served in the Turkish Air Force.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 1918-1923 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "1944-1980" in the official website of the Turkish Air Force Archived 2011-04-26 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
  3. ^ 1949 Temmuzunda Türk Silâhlı Kuvvetleri yeniden örgütlendirilerek, Genelkurmay Başkanlığına bağlı Kara, Deniz, Hava Kuvvetleri kuruldu., Genelkurmay Başkanlığı, Türk Tarihi, Silahlı Kuvvetleri ve Atatürkçülük, Genelkurmay Başkanlığı, 1973, p. 65. (in Turkish)
  4. ^ "SOLOTÜRK Tasarımının Öyküsü" [SOLOTÜRK Tasarımının Öyküsü] (in Turkish). SoloTürk. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Bugün Hava Kuvvetleri'nin kuruluş yıldönümü!". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ^ Hv. K. K. Mebs. "The First Establishment and the Early Years". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  7. ^ Economist Intelligence Unit:Turkey, p.22 (2005)
  8. ^ "Turkey terrific fighter jet project". Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  9. ^ a b International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781032508955.
  10. ^ Mark Johnson (2014). Caribbean Volunteers at War: The Forgotten Story of the RAF's 'Tuskegee Airmen'. Pen and Sword. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4738-3487-3.
  11. ^ "First Female Combat Pilot". Guinness World Records Official Web Site. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  12. ^ "NATO's and Turkey's First Female Jet Pilot: Leman Altınçekiç". Bilkent University Institutional Repository.
  13. ^ "NATO'nun ilk kadın jet pilotu: Leman Bozkurt Altınçekiç". TRT Haber.


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