Turkey celebrates its 30th anniversary as an F-16 ‘Viper’ operator later this year. Since its first aircraft were delivered in October 1987, the fleet has grown into the third largest after those of the United States and Israel, as AFM’s Alan Warnes reports.
TURKISH F-16S
TURKEY HAS built a strong military to keep safe its borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran and deal with an unpredictable relationship with its NATO ally and neighbour, Greece. The country is in a constant state of high alert and airspace protection is a top priority.
A Russian Aerospace Forces Su-24M was shot down after straying into Turkish airspace on November 24, 2015 by a Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (THK, Turkish Air Force) F-16C, believed to be from 182 Filo at Diyarbakır.
The Su-24M was flying an anti-terrorist mission from its base in Latakia province, Syria. Both crew ejected and while one was rescued by Russian troops, the other was killed by small arms from the ground.
Following the incident, Turkey re-affirmed it would shoot down any aircraft committing such violations.
Turkey’s F-16s are also very capable in the air-to-ground role, and strikes against Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê (PKK, Kurdish Workers’ Party) militias occur regularly. A…
