Better a brave enemy
than a prostitute friend (Turkish proverb)
The most numerous and most aggressive air force in the region. Downed Russian bomber and 1,306 violations of Greek airspace in eight months of this year.
The eternal confrontation between the Turks and Greeks does not negate the fact of the membership of both in the North Atlantic Alliance. Turkey is one of the oldest members of the NATO bloc (older than Germany and Spain), actively supporting any directives and programs of the Alliance. The Turks are given priority in the acquisition of the latest weapons. The Americans put them in a queue for the purchase of F-35 fighters, armed the Turks with drones, suspended sighting containers and JSOW gliding bombs.
On the territory of Turkey, there is a stronghold of the US Air Force in the region - the legendary Inzhirlik airbase with a storage of nuclear weapons.
What is the Turkish Air Force?
Record 9-hour combat missions of Turkish F-16s during the NATO operation against Yugoslavia. Nighttime strikes on Iraq using Mavrik precision missiles and Israeli Popeye. Flight operations under the Baltic Air Police program (2006). And now - the incident with the Russian Su-24.
The Turkish pilots have serious training and serious intentions.
Boeing-737 "Peaceful Eagle" (in service - 3, ordered - 1).
Just a dove of peace. Airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft, eyes and ears of the aviation group. Created on the basis of the passenger "Boeing". In the ridge above the fuselage there is a MESA radar with active AFAR, capable of monitoring airspace within a radius of 600 km, incl. detect a fighter-type target at a distance of 370 km, and a ship the size of a frigate - up to 240 km. The radio intercept equipment placed on board makes it possible to detect the radiation of enemy radars at a distance of 850 km. "Peaceful Eagle" is capable of simultaneously tracking up to 180 targets, directing 24 fighters to them.
There is an in-flight refueling system.
Max. takeoff weight - 77 tons. Crew - two pilots and up to 8 operators. Continuous patrol time - up to 15 hours in the air.
KC-135R-CRAG "Stratotanker" (7 units)
Flying tanker based on the Boeing-707 passenger plane. Max. fuel reserve - 92 tons with a take-off weight of 146 tons. Refueling is done using a controllable telescopic rod. The use of a rigid rod allows doubling the pressure and productivity of the system (in comparison with the domestic “hose-cone” scheme), reducing the refueling time and facilitating its process. It remains for the pilot to follow the tanker, and the operator on board the Stratotanker will do the rest.
F-16C and F-16D "Fighting Falkan" (175 and 57 units of each modification)
Multifunctional fighter-bombers F-16, assembled under license from Turkish Aerospace Industries. Turkey has the third largest fleet of "Falcan", after the United States and Israel. To date, all aircraft have been upgraded to the Block 50+ level, having received all-weather sighting equipment, helmet-mounted sights and conformal fuel tanks. In addition to conventional laser and GPS-guided bombs, Turkish F-16s are capable of carrying and employing AGM-154 JSOW heavy glide bombs, AIM-120C-7 medium and long-range air-to-air missiles, and SOM anti-ship missiles made according to stealth technology.
The two-seat modification of the F-16D, in addition to solving fighter and strike missions, can be used as a training aircraft.
Terminator 2020 (47 units)
Forward to the past or back to the future. The Phantom fighter-bomber brought up to date by Israeli specialists. From the old F-4E, only the name and the fuselage remained, as well as the characteristic, upward curved parts of the wing. Replaced all hydraulics and 20 km of electrical wiring. Modern systems of navigation, communication and data exchange have been installed. Instead of arrow indicators in the cockpit, there are multifunctional displays. To solve shock missions at any time of the day, the Turkish "Terminator" is equipped with the Israeli Elta EL / M-2032 radar and a suspended sighting container "Lightning" with IR cameras, laser rangefinders and target tracking sensors. For electronic suppression of anti-aircraft missile heads, the Elta EL / L-8222 active jamming system is included in the avionics.
Taking into account the hurricane thrust and in the presence of a weapons operator in the crew, the 20-ton "Terminator", when operating in the regional theater of operations, will confidently compete with any of the modern tactical bombers (F-15E, Su-34, etc.).
With its outdated aerodynamic design, it is pointless for the Phantom to get involved in close combat with Generation 4 fighters. But with modern avionics and air-to-air missiles, the F-4E Terminator 2020 still poses a long-range threat.
Other
For “advanced” pilot training, the Turkish Air Force has 23 F-5F / E Tiger and 67 T-38 Talon supersonic training aircraft. According to their characteristics and purpose, they correspond to the domestic Yak-130. If necessary, all of them (first of all, the Tiger multipurpose fighter with combat aircraft avionics) can be used to solve strike missions during daylight hours.
Two air command posts and a repeater based on Golfstream passenger business jets.
Specialized jammer (electronic warfare aircraft) based on the military transport CASA CN-235.
80 military transport aircraft ("Hercules", C-160, CASA, Airbus A400 Atlas).
Unmanned aircraft:
4 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft RQ-1 "Predator" (leased from the USA). The takeoff weight of the UAV is about one ton. The duration of the patrol is 24 hours.
10 Israeli IAI Heron.
It is also reported that the Air Force has a certain number (in the range of a couple of dozen) of Turkish-made drones (Anka, Bayraktar) with a max. takeoff weight 650 - 1600 kg.
In connection with the refusal of the United States to transfer shock drones (MQ-9 "Reaper"), the efforts of the Turkish military-industrial complex are developing their own attack drone based on the large TAI Anka.
Space constellation
The Göktürk-2 view reconnaissance satellite launched from the Chinese cosmodrome in December 2012. The satellite is in low earth orbit at an altitude of 680 km. Max. the resolution of images of the Earth's surface is 2 meters.
To date, a second similar satellite is being prepared for launch. The launch of the third ("Goktyurk-1"), whose equipment would allow reconnaissance with a resolution of 0.8 meters, was temporarily postponed due to delays in the delivery of imported equipment.
In 2013, the Turkish company Roketsan began to create its own rocket and space center. In 2015, it was announced that Roketsana was cooperating with the State Space Agency of Ukraine in order to acquire technologies for the creation of a rocket and space complex in Turkey.
Outcomes
Almost 300 combat aircraft with competent support in all information and technical issues (airbases, AWACS, reconnaissance, air tankers). But, despite its apparent multiplicity and a number of models of modern weapons, the Turkish Air Force grouping remains a secondary formation with limited capabilities. The scum of high society. Leftovers from the American and Israeli table.
First, the Turks did not have enough money to purchase full-fledged fighters for gaining air supremacy - the F-15 level. Attempts to wage an air war with the forces of the "Falcons" are deliberately doomed: the small F-16 will not withstand a fight with professionals. Despite notable block-by-block advances in aerodynamics, the single-keel fighter is still poorly controlled at high angles of attack. And his radar is too primitive and weak to compete with the Irbis of the domestic Sushka.
The lot of the F-16 as a fighter is to shit from around the corner and shoot at unarmed / single targets in obviously favorable conditions (the presence of AWACS - in the absence of the enemy).
At the same time, we should give him his due - as a “drummer” he is great. In general, a good fighter-bomber of the light class, losing a fair amount of its potential in the absence of nearby “older brothers” (F-15 and “Raptor”).
Technology for the future? Heavy attack drones are out of the question, even in the long term.
Finally, the presence of 40-year-old "Phantoms" in service. And let their aiming means have been brought to the level of modern aircraft, often surpassing the latter. The very fact of such a "retro" does not do honor to a country declaring its far-reaching ambitions.
At the same time, one cannot fail to note the continuous process of improving the Ottoman Air Force. Purchase of weapons and avionics from the world's leading manufacturers. Creation of our own high-quality high-precision ammunition samples. It is reported that at the beginning of the next decade, "Phantoms" will be replaced by the latest F-35. Turkey will have its own cosmodrome and a light-class launch vehicle for launching satellites into low-earth orbits.
Finally, long-term membership in the NATO bloc, which gives Ankara certain military and political guarantees.
Tr-rr. Let's fly!
