Air defense system of Turkey … In the second half of the 1980s, it became clear that the Turkish Air Force's fighter fleet was largely outdated and needed to be updated. As of 1985, about half of the 300 Turkish fighters did not meet modern requirements. The first Turkish supersonic fighters F-100C / D Super Saber, which were delivered in the early 1960s, by the mid-1980s, by the middle of the 1980s, were mostly exhausted, hopelessly outdated and subject to decommissioning within the next few years. Quite numerous F-104G / S Starfighter fighters, due to the presence of a solid resource and a large stock of spare parts, could have been in service for another decade and a half. But life has shown that Starfighters are optimal in the role of air defense interceptors, and in air combat they are not able to compete with the MiG-21 and MiG-23, which at that time were the main front-line fighters of the Warsaw Pact countries. The F-4E Phantom II multipurpose heavy fighters were mainly assigned strike missions. Although the Phantom had good acceleration characteristics, was equipped with a powerful airborne radar and could carry medium-range guided missiles with a semi-active radar seeker, in close combat it lost to the MiG. Three dozen light fighters F-5A Freedom Fighter did not do the weather. These aircraft had good maneuverability, but even in the mid-1980s they were no longer considered modern. There was no radar on board the fighter, and its maximum flight speed was not much higher than the speed of sound.
Taking into account the fact that since the mid-1980s, light fighters of the fourth generation MiG-29 began to enter the combatant fighter regiments of the USSR Air Force, and in the future these combat aircraft were supposed to replace the MiG-21 and MiG-23 in the countries of the eastern bloc, it became quite obvious that the Turkish Air Force is in need of a major upgrade. In 1985, the first group of Turkish pilots went to the United States to train in F-16C / D Fighting Falcon fighters. In 1987, the newest for its time light multi-role fighters of the 4th generation appeared in Turkey. Between 1987 and 1995, the Turkish Air Force received a total of 155 F-16C / D fighters (46 Block 30 and 109 Block 40). The final assembly of some of these aircraft was carried out at the plant in Ankara.
In the 21st century, the Turkish leadership has embarked on the development of high-tech military production in the country. In 2008, the Turkish aircraft manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) entered into an agreement with the American corporation Lockheed Martin on the joint production of F-16C Block 50 fighters at the Ankara plant. In March 2009, the Turkish Air Force placed an order for the first batch of 30 aircraft for a total the amount of $ 1, 7 billion. At the same time, the agreement provided that the early release F-16C / D with a sufficient resource, will be modernized during the overhaul.
Instead of the previous AN / APG-66 radar, a new multifunctional station AN / APG-68 (V) 5 was installed on the fighters of the F-16C Block 50 version. The F-16C Block 50+ modification is equipped with AN / APG-68 (V) 9 radar. The armament includes new AIM-9X melee missiles and AIM-120C-7 medium-range missiles. The upgraded F-16C / D received Link 16 information exchange equipment, color multifunctional liquid crystal monitors, a helmet-mounted target designation system and night vision goggles. Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 EEP engines with extended overhaul life significantly reduce the cost of the life cycle and increase flight safety. Some fighters are equipped with two conformal fuel tanks, which somewhat worsened the speed, acceleration characteristics and maneuverability of the fighters, but significantly increased the "range-combat load" parameter.
The F-16C Block 50 fighter with the F100-PW-229 engine has a normal takeoff weight of 12,723 kg (14,548 kg with conformal tanks). Maximum takeoff weight - 19190 kg. The maximum speed at an altitude of 12000 m is 2120 km / h. Combat radius when performing air defense missions with outboard fuel tanks, 2 AIM-120 missiles and 2 AIM-9 missiles - 1,750 km. Built-in armament - 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon. For air combat, missiles can be suspended on six external nodes: AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM or their European and Israeli counterparts.
The first multi-role fighter F-16C Block 50, produced by the national industry under an American license, was transferred to the Turkish Air Force on May 23, 2011. In the same place, in Ankara, Pakistani F-16A / B fighters were being modernized and new F-16C / Ds were being assembled for the Egyptian Air Force.
According to The Military Balance 2016, the Turkish Air Force had 35 F-16C / D Block 30, 195 F-16C Block 50 and 30 F-16C Block 50+. Taking into account the fact that the non-upgraded F-16C / D Block 30 were mostly decommissioned or transferred to storage, and several newer fighters were lost in flight accidents or are being repaired, just over 200 F-16C / D fighters are actually combat-ready. After the F-4E Phantom II and F-5A Freedom Fighter were decommissioned, the single-engine F-16C / D became the only Turkish Air Force combat aircraft capable of carrying out air defense missions and fighting for air superiority. In addition, after the last Phantoms were decommissioned, the Turkish Attack Falcons were assigned the main strike missions.
Compared to the times of the Cold War, the Turkish Air Force's fighter fleet has decreased by about one third. Taking into account the increased capabilities of the modernized F-16С / D, and in connection with the reduced risk of global war, a very small fleet of combat aircraft in Armenia and a landslide reduction in the number of strike aircraft in Iraq and Syria, two hundred light multipurpose fighters are quite enough for Turkey at the moment. …
In the past, Turkish F-16C / Ds have been very aggressive. In the mid-1990s, at least two Attacking Falcons were lost during “joint maneuvers” with Greek Air Force fighters. Turkey has used its F-16s extensively in the conflict with the Kurds in the southeastern parts of Turkey and Iraq. Turkish fighters took an active part in the hostilities in Syria. On September 16, 2013, Turkish F-16s shot down a Syrian Mi-17 helicopter in Latakia province near the Turkish-Syrian border. On March 23, 2014, the Turkish Air Force shot down a Syrian MiG-23 as it bombed Islamist positions a few kilometers from the border. On November 24, 2015, an F-16C fighter shot down a Russian Su-24M front-line bomber in Syrian airspace.
After this incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Turkish attack on the Su-24M in Syria a stab in the back of Russia, which was inflicted by the accomplices of the terrorists. According to him, the incident will have serious consequences for relations between Russia and Turkey.
The activity of the Turkish Air Force dropped sharply after the attempted military coup on July 15-16, 2016. During the coup at night and in the morning of July 16 in the capital of the country, Ankara, F-16 fighters inflicted airstrikes on the presidential palace and the parliament building when a meeting of deputies was taking place there. After the failure of the putsch in Turkey, large-scale "purges" began in the security structures. As of December 2016, over 37,000 people had been arrested in connection with the attempted coup d'etat. Several dozen experienced pilots and highly skilled technicians suspected of supporting the rebels were expelled from the Air Force. At the same time, several fighter squadrons were actually disbanded. Fighter squadrons of the Turkish Air Force are now experiencing an acute shortage of qualified personnel, which is unlikely to be eliminated in the next few years.
Until recently, part of the load on ensuring the inviolability of the airspace of the Turkish Republic was provided by the US Air Force fighters deployed at the Konya and Inzherlik airbases. At the same time, the Turkish military had the opportunity to get acquainted in detail with the American F-15C / D / E fighters. US Air Force twin-engine heavy fighters perform air defense missions and regularly participate in US-Turkish military exercises.
Fighters from the Konya airbase participate in joint patrols and provide cover for E-3S AWACS aircraft, and the Eagles based in Ingerlik are part of the NATO air force permanently present in Turkey.
At international aviation shows, Turkish representatives in the past were actively interested in the F-15SE Silent Eagle heavy fighter, which is a further development of the F-15E Strike Eagl, and today is the most advanced in the Orlov family. Israel and Saudi Arabia became the buyers of this modification, F-15SE fighters were also offered to Japan and South Korea. Turkey, if desired, could well have received the F-15SE, but the Americans refused to sell these aircraft on credit and offered to participate in the JSF program. At the same time, the cost of the F-35A is $ 84 million, and for the twin-engine F-15SE, Boeing Corporation asked for $ 100 million in 2010.
In the future, the F-16s were to be supplemented with F-35A Lightning II fighters. First of all, the Lightning planned to replace the decommissioned F-4E fighter-bombers. According to the Turkish military, this machine with a maximum flight speed of 1930 km / h, a maximum takeoff weight of 29,000 kg, a combat radius without refueling and a PTB of 1080 km is more suitable for performing strike missions than for intercepting and maneuvering air combat.
In fairness, it should be said that the F-35A is equipped with a fairly advanced avionics, although according to a number of criteria it is difficult to consider it a 5th generation fighter. The aircraft is equipped with a multifunctional AN / APG-81 AFAR radar, which is effective both for air and ground targets. The F-35A pilot has an AN / AAQ-37 electronic-optical system with a distributed aperture, consisting of sensors located on the fuselage and a computer information processing complex. EOS makes it possible to timely warn of an aircraft missile attack, detect the positions of air defense missile systems and anti-aircraft artillery, and launch an air-to-air missile at a target flying behind the aircraft. Omnidirectional infrared CCD-TV camera of high resolution AAQ-40 provides capture and tracking of any ground, surface and air targets without turning on the radar. It is capable of detecting and tracking targets in automatic mode and at a great distance, as well as fixing laser irradiation of an aircraft. The AN / ASQ-239 jamming station in an automated mode counteracts various threats: air defense systems, ground and ship radars, as well as fighter airborne radars.
Turkey joined the F-35A program in 2002, and in January 2007, Ankara became a member of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) production program. Within the framework of the JSF program, about 900 types of components were to be produced at Turkish enterprises. During the entire life cycle of the F-35, Turkey could earn $ 9 billion from the production of components.
The first F-35A was planned to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force in 2014. In total, the contract assumed the supply of 100 aircraft, at a rate of 10-12 units per year. However, due to a missed deadline, the first two vehicles built for the Turkish Air Force were transferred to Luke airbase in Arizona in 2018.
Until recently, Turkish pilots of the 171st and 172nd squadrons, who had previously flown the F-4E, were trained on these fighters. The Turkish Air Force command planned to deploy the F-35A at Malatya airbase in Central Anatolia, where a key NATO radar facility is also located. After the purchase of Russian S-400s, relations between Ankara and Washington deteriorated so much that Turkish pilots were asked to leave US territory, and the fate of the aircraft has not yet been determined.
In the future, the F-16С / D fighters in the Turkish Air Force were planned to be replaced by the 5th generation TF-X (Turkish Fighter - Experimental) fighters. The development of this aircraft has been carried out by the national aircraft manufacturer TAI since 2011. Also participating in the project are the Swedish company Saab AB, the British BAE Systems and the Italian Alenia Aeronautica. The development of the radar is entrusted to the Turkish radio electronic corporation ASELSAN. The engine was to be provided by the American corporation General Electric. According to open data, the glider for the TF-X is created using Turkish and foreign developments in the field of materials science, which should ensure a decrease in radar and thermal signature.
For the first time, information about the development of a promising TF-X fighter was officially announced at the International Defense Exhibition IDEF-2013 in Istanbul. The full-scale model was unveiled on July 17, 2019 at the Le Bourget Air Show.
The twin-engine aircraft with a swept wing and two keels looks like foreign fighters of the latest generation. The length of the model reaches 21 m, the wingspan is 14 m. The maximum take-off weight of the production aircraft will exceed 27 tons. It will be able to reach speeds of up to 2300 km / h, climb to an altitude of 17000 m and carry a variety of weapons in the internal and external compartments.
In 2013, it was said that flight tests of the prototype would begin in 2023, later they were shifted to 2025. At the same time, Ankara announced the possible purchase of 250 new aircraft. However, the implementation of these plans is in question. From the very beginning, aviation observers of a number of foreign publications specializing in the field of combat aviation expressed reasonable doubts about the ability of Turkish developers to meet the deadlines. TAI has no experience in creating modern combat aircraft, and after Ankara went into conflict with Washington, the Americans are 100% likely to block the transfer of critical technologies and hinder cooperation with European companies. It is clear that without foreign scientific, technical and technological assistance, Turkey has no chances to independently create a 5th generation fighter.
Against the background of the aggravation of relations between Turkey and the United States and the freezing of the F-35A delivery schedule, Ankara started talking about the possibility of acquiring Russian heavy Su-35SK fighters.
The Turkish top military-political leadership had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Russian Su-35S during the Technofest technology festival, which took place in Istanbul on September 17-22, 2019. As reported at MAKS-2019 in the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation, the Russian and Turkish sides are discussing the possibility of supplying Russian Su-35 and Su-57 fighters. Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he did not rule out the purchase of Russian Su-35 and Su-57 fighters instead of American F-35 aircraft. On December 11, 2019, the Turkish edition of the Daily Sabah published the words of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu: "Russia can provide (Turkey) an alternative to F-35 fighters if the US refuses to sell them."
However, with a high degree of probability, one can assume that the Turkish leadership is thus blackmailing the White House. Whatever contradictions and grievances there would be between Ankara and Washington, it should be remembered that Turkey, a NATO member, is very dependent on the military and economic support of the United States and the European Union. If we ignore the emotional and political components of the story with the freezing of F-35A supplies, then Ankara's purchase of Russian Su-35SK and Su-57E fighters seems unlikely.
There is no particular doubt that our top leadership can easily authorize the sending of the most modern military equipment and weapons to a country that is part of the North Atlantic Alliance, even if in the long term this could damage the defense capability of Russia. Another question is how much Turkey itself needs it. It is no secret that the economic and political situation in the Republic of Turkey is rather difficult, and the country is in an economic crisis. According to SIPRI, Turkey spent $ 19.0 billion on defense in 2018, which amounted to 2.5% of the country's GDP. At the same time, military spending has increased by 65% over the decade. For comparison, Russia spends $ 61.4 billion on defense. But at the same time, our country has a much larger territory and is forced to invest heavily in a nuclear missile shield, finance a number of expensive defense programs and maintain large military contingents in harsh climatic conditions. Even with a very solid military budget for a country like Turkey, Ankara does not have free financial resources to buy modern combat aircraft.
The F-35A fighter was designed as a lightweight single-engine multipurpose platform with low radar signature technology and advanced sighting navigation equipment. The main emphasis in the creation of the F-35A was placed on its shock capabilities. Although this aircraft has some potential as a fighter, it will be inferior to heavy fighters in gaining air superiority. However, it should be understood that the Turkish Air Force, which has operated exclusively American-made combat aircraft since 1952, or built under an American license, are oriented towards Western standards. Although the Su-35S fighter is one of the best in the world, it is hardly possible to equip it with MIDS equipment. The MIDS system is a NATO tactical communications system that unites various types of information platforms into a common tactical data transmission network with Link 16 equipment. In other words, if Turkey buys Russian combat aircraft, they will not be able to be combined with NATO's automated command and control and data exchange system. without which the combat value of fighters will fall. In addition, the life cycle of the Su-35S is significantly more expensive than that of the F-16C / D single-engine fighters, well mastered by the Turkish flight and technical staff. According to information published in open sources, two AL-41F1S bypass turbojet engines with a service life of 4000 hours are installed on the combat Su-35S. The service life of the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 EEP engine installed on the Turkish F-16C Block 50+ is 6,000 hours. The only decisive argument may be the sale of the Su-35SK on credit, with the export price of one aircraft over $ 30 million. But in this case, the question arises, what does our country get besides a short-term deterioration in relations between Turkey and the United States?
Of course, we can deservedly be proud of the best Russian fighters in the world, but in the long term, are we interested in having NATO military experts thoroughly familiarize themselves with them in the near future? We can recall the damage our defenses suffered after the MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters ended up in the American test centers and the "potential partners" were able to study in detail not only the flight data of the aircraft and the characteristics of the weapons, but also to remove the parameters of the onboard radar stations and passive optoelectronic detection systems. Those who advocate the early sale of the Su-35SK to Turkey should understand that regardless of whether Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains in power or someone else is president, the Turkish Republic will remain in the US zone of influence and will not leave NATO, as no matter how we like it.
