List of active Turkish Air Force aircraft explained

The Turkish Air Force operates a diverse fleet of aircraft, supported by a domestic aerospace industry, such as Turkish Aerospace Industries, that has made contributions to locally produce license-built aircraft and indigenous Unmanned aerial vehicle. The following is a list of currently active military aircraft in the Turkish Air Force.

Aircraft

Current inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Combat aircraft
F-16 Fighting Falcon	United States	multirole	F-16C/D Block 30	32[1]	Nearly all active aircraft were built under license by TAI.[2] [3] The Block 30s are undergoing F-16 Özgür I program to the Block 30M.[4] Block 40s and 50s have been upgraded to the latest Block 50+ standards under the PO-III and F-16 MSM/CCIP Programs as Block 40M and Block 50M.[5] 40 F-16 Vipers on order.[6] 93 F-16Ds are used for conversion training. One used by SoloTürk demonstration team.[7]
			F-16C/D Block 30M	3[8]
			F-16C/D Block 40M	100[9]
			F-16C/D Block 50M	70
			F-16C/D Block 50+	29
F-4 Phantom II	United States	fighter-bomber	F-4E	19[10]	Upgraded to the F-4 Terminator 2020[11]
AEW&C
E-7 Peace Eagle	United States	AEW	E-7T	4[12]	Being upgraded with ASELSAN’s ESM/ELINT System, that replaced EL/L-8382.
Tanker
KC-135 Stratotanker	United States	aerial refueling	KC-135R	7	Upgraded to Block 45.1[13]
Reconnaissance/Electronic warfare
	Canada	EW/SIGINT/ELINT	Global 6000		4 on order. Being developed under HAVA SOJ project by TAI and Aselsan.[14]
CASA/IPTN CN-235	Spain	SIGINT/ELINT	CN-235M-100	3	One used for reconnaissance under Treaty on Open Skies[15] Licensed built by TAI
Transall C-160	Germany	EW	C-160T	1[16]	Used for electronic warfare and training.[17]
Transport
CASA/IPTN CN-235	Spain	transport / maritime patrol/air ambulance	CN-235M-100	45	3 used for SAR - licensed built by TAI[18] One used for maritime patrol[19] One used by SoloTürk demonstration team.[20] One leased by the Turkish Naval Forces.[21] One used by the Special Forces.[22]
C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical airlifter	C-130B	6	On going upgrade to C-130EM/BM Erciyes.[23]
			C-130E	13
C-130J Super Hercules	United States	tactical airlifter	C4		12 planned to be procured from RAF.
Airbus A400M Atlas	European Union			10	6 more planned
Cessna Citation II	United States	VIP transport	550	2
Cessna Citation III	United States	VIP transport	650 VII	2
Gulfstream 550	United States	VIP transport		1
Helicopters
Eurocopter AS532 Cougar	France	utility /	CSAR	AL	6
		SAR	UL	14
Bell UH-1 Iroquois	United States	utility	UH-1H	14[24]
Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk	United States	utility / CSAR		3[25]	3 on order[26] Licensed built by TAI[27]
TAI T625 Gökbey	Turkey	utility			4 on order.[28]
Trainer aircraft
T-38 Talon	United States	jet trainer	T-38M	68	Upgraded under project ARI to T38M.[29]
Canadair CF-5	Canada	jet trainer	NF-5A/B	13	Used by the Turkish Stars demonstration team[30]
TAI Hürjet	Turkey	advanced jet trainer	Block 0		16 on order. It will replace CF-5 and T38 Talon.[31] [32]
			Block 1
TAI Hürkuş	Turkey	advanced basic trainer	B		55 Hürkuş-2B on order.[33]
KAI KT-1 Woongbi	Republic of Korea	advanced basic trainer	KT-1T	39	Licensed built by TAI.
PAC MFI-395 Super Mushshak	Pakistan	basic trainer	MFI-395 IIB	10+[34] [35]	42 on order. It will replace SF.260 and T41 Mescalero.
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260	Italy	basic trainer	SF.260D	32[36]	Licensed built by TAI.[37]
Cessna T41 Mescalero	United States	basic trainer	T-41D	25
UAV
TAI Anka	Turkey	UCAV	B / S	19
TAI Aksungur	Turkey	UCAV		5
Bayraktar Akıncı	Turkey	UCAV	B	12

Note : Six F35 Lightning II owned by the Turkish Air Force are stored in hangar in US.^[38]

Future

• Undergoing negotiations between Turkey and USA for F-35 Lightning II for possible acquisition in the future if the S400 issue is resolved.^{[39] [40]} Turkey resubmitted the offer to buy 40 F-35s as US expressed interest to sell the aircraft. Also reported by MOD that US doesnt have any objections regarding S400s.^[41] https://turdef.com/article/turkiye-changes-its-f-16-block-70-and-f-35-strategy
• Undergoing negotiations for acquisition of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon.^[42] Germany approved to start technical meetings, along with other partners of the consortium.^[43] In the first stage Turkish Air Force will acquire a Eurofighter from a Gulf country. It is noted that the number can vary from 20 to 12. After that, the number is expected to increase to 40.^[44] Germany has approved the assignment of a Temporary Sales Authority for the sale of the aircraft.^[45]
• 20 TF KAAN Block 10 developed by TAI is expected to be delivered by 2028–2029. Expected to replace F16 Fighting Falcon by mid 2030s.^{[46] [35]}
• Contract for the upgrade program of the second phase of Özgür upgrade program - Özgür-II for the F-16s was signed in IDEF23. Its expected to include Block 30, Block 40 and Block 50 variants.^[47]
• Undergoing negotiations for acquisition of new tanker aircraft to replace KC-135. Possibilities are A330 MRTT or KC-46.^{[48] [49]}
• Undergoing avionics modernization of CN-235 aircraft which will gain capabilities such as TCAS, IFF Mode 5S, ADS-B OUT, GPS-based Navigation.^[50]
• Contract was signed for the avionics modernization of AS532 Cougar between ASELSAN, ASFAT and AIRBUS.^[51]
• Anka-3 stealth UCAV developed by TAI is expected to be delivered by 2025 for testing purposes. Mass production deliveries expected to start by 2026.^{[52] [53]}
• Possible acquisition of Bayraktar Kızılelma developed by Baykar unmanned combat aircraft in the future.^[54]

See also

• List of active weapons of the Turkish Air Force
• Satellites of Turkey
• Modern equipment of the Turkish Land Forces
• Equipment of the Turkish Navy
• Equipment of the Turkish Gendarmerie
• Equipment of the Turkish Coast Guard
• Turkish Armed Forces

Notes and References

1. Book: Military Balance 2024 . IISS . 2024 . 978-1032780047.
2. Web site: TAI Aircraft . 16 November 2023.
3. Web site: Tr-Military .
4. Web site: Torlak . Hakan . 2024-03-01 . ÖZGÜR Projesinde ilk teslimat yapıldı . 2024-06-20 . DefenceTurk . tr.
5. Web site: An Overview of Fixed Wing Air Platform Procurement & Modernization Programs of the Turkish Air Force . 2024-07-24 . www.defenceturkey.com.
6. Web site: Sabah . Daily . 2024-06-07 . Türkiye signs letter of offer, acceptance for F-16 jets from US . 2024-06-09 . Daily Sabah . en-US.
7. Web site: Habertürk . Antalya SOLOTÜRK gösterisi ne zaman, saat kaçta, nerede? SOLOTÜRK ne demek, anlamı nedir? . 2024-05-31 . Habertürk . tr.
8. Web site: "ÖZGÜR"leştirilen ilk F-16'lar Hava Kuvvetlerine teslim edildi . 2024-10-13 . www.aa.com.tr.
9. Web site: An Overview of Fixed Wing Air Platform Procurement & Modernization Programs of the Turkish Air Force . 2024-08-15 . www.defenceturkey.com.
10. Web site: The Military Balance 2024 . 2024-03-06 . IISS . en.
11. Book: Klein and Aloni . Andreas and Schlomo . The 'Kurnass' in IDF/AF Service 1989 until Today . 2009 . Double Ugly Books.
12. News: 2023 . World Air Forces 2023 . 9 June 2023 . Flight Global . Flightglobal Insight .
13. Web site: 2022-10-21 . The Turkish Air Force Receives Modernized KC-135R Tanker Aircraft . 2023-12-14 . Overt Defense . en-CA.
14. Web site: Azman . Kaan . 2022-11-28 . HAVA SOJ'un test uçuşları icra ediliyor! . 2024-08-16 . DefenceTurk . tr.
15. Web site: The Military Balance 2024 . 2024-03-21 . IISS . en.
16. Web site: Aviation Safety Network > > ASN Aviation Safety Database results . 2024-08-30 . asn.flightsafety.org.
17. Web site: The Military Balance 2023 . 2023-06-27 . IISS . en.
18. Web site: Turkey boosts order for CN-235. 1998-10-21. 2022-03-18. Flightglobal.
19. Web site: Embraer . In association with . 2024 World Air Forces directory . 2023-12-02 . Flight Global . en.
20. Web site: C4Defence . 2020-10-01 . SOLOTÜRK Tekrar CN235'le Birlikte . 2024-05-31 . C4 Defence . tr-TR.
21. Web site: Maritime patrol and utility aircraft .
22. Web site: Orbats . 2024-08-22 . www.scramble.nl.
23. Web site: ERCIYES C-130 Modernization Program Will Keep C-130B/E Aircraft in Service Until the 2040s . 2023-10-07 . www.defenceturkey.com.
24. Web site: Incident Bell UH-1H Iroquois 82-24051, Tuesday 5 March 2024 . 2024-09-03 . asn.flightsafety.org.
25. Web site: ÇELİK . Fırat . 2024-08-07 . TUSAŞ Genel Müdürü açıkladı: Yerli T70 Helikopteri teslim edildi! T70 Helikopterinin özellikleri neler? . 2024-08-07 . Sanayi Gazetesi . tr.
26. Web site: T-70 deliveries by TAI .
27. Web site: First T-70 for the Turkish Air Force. 2023-11-03. 2023-01-13. scramble magazine.
28. Web site: 2024-04-18 . 3 yılda 55 adet HÜRKUŞ geliyor! Haluk Görgün HÜRJET ve GÖKBEY için tarih verdi . 2024-04-18 . TRHaber . tr.
29. Web site: From Client to Competitor: The Rise of Turkiye's Defence Industry . 2024-06-26 . IISS . en.
30. Web site: Seventh Acroteam - Turkish Stars . 15 October 2019. 2023-11-03.
31. Web site: 2022-09-22 . TUSAŞ'a 4+12 adet HÜRJET Siparişi SavunmaSanayiST . 2023-12-14 . tr.
32. Web site: HÜRJET için sipariş kesinleşti SSB Başkanı Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün: TUSAŞ ve SSB arasında imzalanan 4 adet Blok 0 HÜRJET'e ilave olarak 12 adet Blok 1 uçağı kapsama dahil ediyoruz. Bu kapsamda 12 uçak teslimatı kesin siparişe çevrilecek. Uçak teslimat tarihleri iyileştirilecek ve 1 yıl öne çekilecek. . 2024-04-18 . gdh.digital.
33. Web site: HÜRKUŞ-2 ilk uçuşuna hazırlanıyor . 2024-01-05 . www.aa.com.tr.
34. Web site: MSB: 5 Süper Mushshak uçağı 2. Ana Jet Üs Komutanlığı envanterine katıldı . 2024-03-24 . www.aa.com.tr.
35. Web site: An Overview of Fixed Wing Air Platform Procurement & Modernization Programs of the Turkish Air Force . 2024-09-26 . www.defenceturkey.com.
36. Web site: Aviation Safety Network > > ASN Aviation Safety Database results . 2024-08-30 . asn.flightsafety.org.
37. Web site: 'Tayyare'Den 'Uçak'A: Bir Montaj Öyküsü (II). Barış . Albayrak . İlke . Aydincak . İ.Evrim . Dizemen . Yücel . Gürses . A.Bahar . Haser . METU Aeronautical Engineering Department. December 24, 2023. tr.
38. Web site: 2024-02-04 . Turkish F-35 fighters undergo technical maintenance every month . 2024-09-03 . en-US.
39. Web site: Yılmaz . Olgun . 2024-05-03 . Türkiye'nin F-35 savaş uçağı tedariki hala masada . 2024-08-16 . DefenceTurk . tr.
40. Web site: 2024-02-02 . US ready to greenlight Turkey's F-35 fighter jet program if Ankara gives up Russian S-300s and S-400s . 2024-08-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240202005500/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-ready-greenlight-turkey-f-111400491.html . 2 February 2024 .
41. Web site: 2024-11-26 . SON DAKİKA HABER Bakan Güler'den F-35 açıklaması: KAAN'ı yaptığımızı görünce düşünceleri değişti - Son Dakika Haberleri . 2024-11-26 . CNN TÜRK . tr.
42. Web site: Milli Savunma Bakanı Güler: 40 tane Eurofighter uçağı almayı planlıyoruz . 2024-08-16 . www.aa.com.tr.
43. Web site: Eurofighter alımında Türkiye'ye yeşil ışık . 2024-10-12 . www.ntv.com.tr . tr.
44. Web site: Eurofighter’da ilk adım ikinci el – Tolga Özbek . 2024-10-12 . tr.
45. Web site: Eurofighter is in the Permission Process in Germany . TurDef.
46. Web site: Işık . Yusuf Emir . 2023-06-20 . 2 adet KAAN üretim hattında . 2024-08-16 . DefenceTurk . tr.
47. Web site: 2023-07-26 . STM'den insansız denizaltı sürprizi geliyor . 2024-10-12 . tr.
48. Web site: HvKK, KC-135R Stratotanker'leri A330 MRTT'lerle Değiştirecek . 2024-08-16 . www.defenceturkey.com.
49. Web site: Bayar . Ahmet . 2020-07-09 . Türk Hava Kuvvetleri'nin tanker uçak ihtiyacı ve KC-46A / A330 MRTT . 2024-08-16 . DefenceTurk . tr.
50. Web site: CN235 Aviyonik Modernizasyon Projesi ve 2'nci HBFM . 2024-08-16 . www.defenceturkey.com.
51. Web site: COUGAR'LAR MİLLİ AVİYONİK SİSTEMLERLE UÇACAK . 2024-08-16 . Aselsan . tr.
52. Web site: 2024-07-08 . TUSAŞ ANKA 3, 2025 başında Hava Kuvvetleri'ne teslim edilecek . 2024-08-16 . DonanımHaber . tr.
53. Web site: Yılmaz . Olgun . 2024-10-03 . TUSAŞ Genel Müdürü Demiroğlu'ndan kritik değerlendirmeler . 2024-10-03 . DefenceTurk . tr.
54. Web site: 2024-05-21 . Bayraktar: KIZILELMA'nın 1-2 ay içinde üretim prototipleri ve versiyonunu uçurmaya başlayacağız . 2024-08-16 . www.trthaber.com . tr.