Air forces of the Turkish military
Turkish Air Force Emblem of the Turkish Air Force
Founded
1 June 1911 (113 years, 7 months) [ a]
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]
Country Turkey Type Air force
Space force Role Aerial warfare Space warfare Size 50,000 personnel (2024)[ 4] 294 aircraft[ 4] 3 satellites[citation needed ] Part of Turkish Armed Forces Headquarters Çankaya , Ankara Colours March Turkish Air Force March Play ⓘ Mascot(s) Eagle [ b] [ 5] Anniversaries 1 June[ 6] Engagements Website www .hvkk .tsk .tr Commander-in-Chief President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Minister of Defence Yaşar Güler Chief of the General Staff General Metin Gürak Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu Chief of Air Staff Lieutenant General Rafet Dalkıran Roundel Fin flash Flag of Turkish Air Force Command Aviator badge Attack Akıncı , Aksungur , Anka-S Bomber F-4 Terminator Electronic warfare C-160 , CN-235 , E-7T , Global 6000 Fighter F-16C/D Utility helicopter Cougar , T-70 , UH-1H Reconnaissance TB1 Trainer KT-1 , SF-260 , T-38 , T-41 Transport A400M , C-130 , CN-235 , Citation Tanker Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
Military unit
The Turkish Air Force (Turkish : Türk Hava Kuvvetleri ) is the air and space force 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 .[ 7] 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]
As of 2023[update] , 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 .[ 8] : 143–144 In terms of aircraft quantity, it is the largest air force in Europe.[ 4] : 51 The world's first black pilot, Ahmet Ali Çelikten ,[ 9] the world's first female fighter pilot, Sabiha Gökçen ,[ 10] and the first female jet pilot accredited in NATO , Leman Altınçekiç , all served in the Turkish Air Force.[ 11] [ 12]
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^ a b Cite error: The named reference 1918-1923
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ "Sunucu Hatası" . www.hvkk.tsk.tr . Archived from the original on 26 April 2011.
^ 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)
^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies (13 February 2024). The Military Balance 2024 (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 149. ISBN 978-1032780047 .
^ "SOLOTÜRK Tasarımının Öyküsü" [SOLOTÜRK Tasarımının Öyküsü] (in Turkish). SoloTürk . Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "Bugün Hava Kuvvetleri'nin kuruluş yıldönümü!" . Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014 .
^ Hv. K. K. Mebs. "The First Establishment and the Early Years" . Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2014 .
^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023 . London : Routledge . ISBN 9781032508955 .
^ 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 .
^ "First Female Combat Pilot" . Guinness World Records Official Web Site . Retrieved 15 May 2016 .
^ Dinçelek, Gökçe; Bayırlı, Deniz; Balcı, Mert; Serter, Sena; Aydın, Didem (2018). "NATO's and Turkey's First Female Jet Pilot: Leman Altınçekiç" . Bilkent University Institutional Repository . hdl :11693/51518 .
^ "NATO'nun ilk kadın jet pilotu: Leman Bozkurt Altınçekiç" . TRT Haber . 4 May 2021.