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 | |
|---|---|
| Türk Yıldızları | |
 Turkish Stars emblem | |
| Active | November 7, 1992 |
| Country |  Turkey |
| Branch | Turkish Air Force |
| Role | Aerobatic demonstration Team |
| Size | 10 Pilots, 7 Public affairs, 11 Maintenance personnel |
| Garrison/HQ | Konya Air Base |
| Motto(s) | A perfect harmony of skill, speed and discipline... |
| Colors |
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major Kürşat Kömür |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | 10 NF-5A Freedom Fighter 2 NF-5B Freedom Fighter |
| Transport | 1 C-130 1 C-160 1 CASA/IPTN CN-235 |
The team was formed on 7 November 1992, and was named the Turkish Stars on 11 January 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 24 August 2001, the Turkish Stars demonstrated at an airshow to more than one million people in Baku, Azerbaijan, setting a world record.[4]
As of May 2024[update], Major Kürşat Kömür serve as fleet commander of Turksih Stars.[5]
Incidents
editOn 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]
On 14 March 2024, during a training flight, an NF-5 crashed into a construction site near the runway during a landing attempt, killing one construction worker who was operating construction equipment. The pilot successfully ejected and was airlifted by helicopter to the Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine.[9] The Turkish Ministry of National Defence official Twitter account announced that the crash occurred at 12:51pm Local Time and the cause was unknown. It also announced that an investigation had been initiated.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Türk Yıldızları". www.turkyildizlari.tsk.tr. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "HÜRJET | Turkish Aerospace". www.tusas.com. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "Niçin Çok Özel? - Türk Yıldızları". www.turkyildizlari.tsk.tr. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Uçuş Eki̇bi̇" [Filght Crew] (in Turkish). 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Yıldız, Mehmet Kayhan; Hasan Dönmez; Hakan Kaya (13 March 2012). "Uçak düştükten hemen sonra çekildi". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ^ "Konya'da 'Türk Yıldızları' uçağı düştü: 1 şehit". Anadolu Agency (in Turkish). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Military plane crashes in central Türkiye, pilot survives". Daily Sabah. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ "1 dies as Turkish training plane crashed into work machine in Konya". Daily Sabah. 14 March 2024.
- ^ T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı [@tcsavunma] (14 March 2024). "Konya'da eğitim uçuşu yapan Hava Kuvvetlerimize ait bir NF-5 uçağımız saat 12.51'de henüz bilinmeyen bir nedenle kaza kırıma uğramıştır" [An NF-5 aircraft belonging to the Turkish Air Force, conducting a training flight in Konya, crashed at 12:51 for reasons yet unknown.] (Tweet) (in Turkish) – via Twitter.
External links
edit
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