Turkish Stars

The Turkish Stars (Turkish: Türk Yıldızları) are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey.

Turkish Stars
Turkish Stars emblem
ActiveNovember 7, 1992
CountryTurkey
BranchTurkish Air Force
RoleAerobatic demonstration Team
Size10 Pilots, 7 Public affairs, 11 Maintenance personnel
Garrison/HQKonya Air Base
Motto(s)A perfect harmony of skill, speed and discipline...
ColorsRed, White, Gray
Commanders
Current
commander		Major Esra Özatay
Aircraft flown
Fighter10 NF-5A Freedom Fighter
2 NF-5B Freedom Fighter
Transport1 C-130
1 C-160
1 CASA/IPTN CN-235
Turkish Stars during centennial ceremony of the Gallipoli campaign

The team was formed on November 7, 1992, and was named the Turkish Stars on January 11, 1993.[1]

Turkish Stars fly with eight Canadair NF-5 fighter planes obtained from the Royal Netherlands Air Force,[2] making them one of few national aerobatics teams to fly supersonic aircraft. Twelve NF-5 fighter planes are available to the team. The team uses CASA/IPTN CN-235, C-130 and C-160 support aircraft in Turkish Stars colours. The team is stationed at the Konya Air Base of 3rd Main Jet Base Group Command. As a part of modernization programs of the Turkish Air Force, the NF-5 aircraft are planned to be replaced with locally produced TAI Hurjet in mid 2020s.[3]

On August 24, 2001, the Turkish Stars demonstrated at an airshow to more than one million people in Baku, Azerbaijan, setting a world record.[4]

Leadership

Current squadron leader Major Esra Özatay assumed the role on 8 September 2016. She is the first and only female pilot to hold this position in the Turkish Air Force.[5]

Turkish Stars performing a show

Incidents

On 13 March 2012, one of the team's NF-5 fighter planes crashed during a training session in Konya Province, 2 km (1.2 mi) from the airbase where the team is stationed. Pilot Flight lieutenant Ümit Özer, who had joined the Turkish Stars shortly before, died in the crash.[6]

On 7 April 2021, an NF-5 fighter plane crashed during a training session near Karatay. Pilot Flight lieutenant Burak Gençcelep died in the crash.[7]

On 6 December 2022, during a training flight, an NF-5 collided with a bird causing engine failure. The pilot ejected and was confirmed to be unharmed.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Türk Yıldızları". www.turkyildizlari.tsk.tr. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. Hv. K. K. Mebs (19 May 2011). "About the NF-5 Aircraft – Türk Yıldızları". Turkyildizlari.tsk.tr. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  3. "HÜRJET | Turkish Aerospace". www.tusas.com. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  4. "Niçin Çok Özel? - Türk Yıldızları". www.turkyildizlari.tsk.tr. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. "Türk Yıldızları > Pilots & Personnel > Pilots". September 16, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16.
  6. Yıldız, Mehmet Kayhan; Hasan Dönmez; Hakan Kaya (2012-03-13). "Uçak düştükten hemen sonra çekildi". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  7. "Konya'da 'Türk Yıldızları' uçağı düştü: 1 şehit". Anadolu Agency (in Turkish). 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  8. "Military plane crashes in central Türkiye, pilot survives". Daily Sabah. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Turkish Stars.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.