The Turkish Air Force (Turkish: Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to June 1911 when it was founded as the Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire.[5] 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,[6] 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).[7]
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.[8]: 51
The world's first black pilot, Ahmet Ali Çelikten,[9] and the world's first female fighter pilot, Sabiha Gökçen,[10] both served in the Turkish Air Force.
^ abCite error: The named reference 1918-1923 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"1944-1980" in the official website of the Turkish Air Force Archived 2011-04-26 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
^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)
^"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.
^Economist Intelligence Unit:Turkey, p.22 (2005)
^"Turkey terrific fighter jet project". Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
^ abInternational 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.
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