Zitat:Turkiye Made the First Payment of F-16 Viper
31 Oct 2024, 13:41 2 mins

Air
Turkiye Made the First Payment of F-16 Viper
Turkish Defence Ministry sources stated that the first payment for the F-16 Viper was completed, while technical negotiations are continuing.

Turkish Defence Ministry sources, in response to questions regarding the latest status of the Eurofighter and F-16 procurement, said, “Negotiations are ongoing with the United Kingdom government officials and manufacturing company officials from the Consortium member countries regarding the sale of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to our country. We expect a positive outcome soon. The contracts have entered into force with the initial payment made within the scope of the F-16 Block-70 procurement. Technical negotiations are ongoing with the U.S. government officials and manufacturing company officials regarding the procurement of the F-16 Block-70 aircraft.”

Zitat:Eurofighter is in the Permission Process in Germany
14 Nov 2024, 12:03 2 mins

Air Bilateral Relations
Eurofighter is in the Permission Process in Germany
In response to questions regarding the latest status of Eurofighter procurement within the scope of Minister Yaşar Güler’s recent statements, Ministry of National Defence sources said, “The sale of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to our country has previously been approved by the consortium member countries of the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. Germany has approved the assignment of a Temporary Sales Authority for the sale of the aircraft. It is assessed that this will accelerate the procurement process. Technical level studies are ongoing for the procurement of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, which is assessed to be an alternative to meet the operational needs of our Air Force Command.”

(17.11.2024, 00:03)Skywalker schrieb: Letztendlich ist die EF-2000 Beschaffung eine nichts weiter als eine Übergangslösung bis die Eigenentwickelten Kampfflugzeuge des Typs Kaan in ausreichender Stückzahl verfügbar sind.

(17.11.2024, 10:04)Helios schrieb: "Ausreichend" ist eine interessante Wortwahl, die Turkei fliegt bis heute Phantom offensichtlich weil nie eine "ausreichende" Zahl an F-16 beschafft werden konnte. Auch mit den neuen Bestellungen (F-16V und Eurofighter) werden perspektivisch über 200 weitaus ältere Maschinen zu ersetzen sein. Ich denke wir können davon ausgehen, dass die neuen Flugzeuge eine lange Zeit im Dienst der türkischen Luftstreitkräfte stehen werden.

Zitat:Turkish Army Uses KORKUT SPAAG For Fire Support
18 Nov 2024, 18:04 2 mins

Weapon / Missile
Turkish Army Uses KORKUT SPAAG For Fire Support
Turkish MoD released footage of KORKUT SPAAG being utilised for fire support against PKK terrorists in the Claw-Lock operation zone in Iraq.

In most cases, fire support in ground forces is a mission left to tanks, IFVs, and artillery, but sometimes, the potential of air defence weaponry in said missions is brought up.

KORKUT 35 mm SPAAG's use for fire support in the Turkish Army's counter-terrorism operations is one recent example of such a situation. Thanks to being compatible with HE-I ammunition alongside ATOM airburst ammunition of ASELSAN, the dual-barreled SPAAG with a combined fire rate of 1100 RPM can sometimes be more effective at suppressing enemy personnel than tanks.

(19.11.2024, 23:28)Skywalker schrieb: Man fliegt die Phantom nicht weil man nicht eine ausreichende Anzahl F-16 beschaffen konnte, sondern weil man aus dem F-35 Programm ausgeschlossen wurde.

Zitat:Die türkische Luftwaffe verfügt über ungefähr 240 F-16 C/D der Konfigurationen Block 30/40/50 & 50+ mit CFT, dass ist genug für ein Mehrzweckkampfflugzeug. Es fehlen mehr Flugzeuge die für Luftüberlegenheit geeignet sind und Jabos vergleichbar der F15 E die eine hohe Waffenlast tragen können.

Zitat:New Turkish F-16 Plan Lowers the Budget
27 Nov 2024, 13:14 3 mins

Air Ammunition Modernisation
New Turkish F-16 Plan Lowers the Budget
Turkiye cut F-16 procurement budgets without giving up on missiles and ammunition. The new plan without modernisation kits is limited to $7 billion.
Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler presented the ministry’s 2025 budget to the Parliament and provided detailed information about the most recent procurement programmes.
It is known that Turkish–U.S. negotiations over F-16 procurement have been at a stall for a long time. The U.S. DSCA announced the procurement plans with $23 billion on January 26, 2024. The initial plan included the procurement of 40 F-16 Vipers, modernisation kits to upgrade 79 F-16 jets to Block 70 level, and various missiles and ammunition.
According to Güler’s statement, Turkiye will acquire 40 F-16 Viper as planned. The modernisation kits are no longer in the interest as Turkiye will continue with the Özgür Project. Turkiye will also acquire ammunition and missiles.

Zitat:Turkiye Changes its F-16 Block 70 and F-35 Strategy
27 Nov 2024, 00:18 3 mins

Air Weapon / Missile Modernisation
Turkiye Changes its F-16 Block 70 and F-35 Strategy
Speaking at the Committee on Plan and Budget, Turkish Minister of Defence Yaşar Güler signalled a possible change of strategy on F-35 fighters and F-16s.

During his speech, Güler gave an update regarding the U.S.’s stance on the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye:

“After we developed the KAAN fighter jet, the U.S. officials have changed their mind regarding the F-35. They are now saying that they can deliver the jets. We re-sent our offer for F-35.”

In response to a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s question on whether Turkiye will re-join the F-35 production line, Güler said:

“We insisted on our share of the production line being given back and sent our request for 40 F-35 fighter jets.”

In an exclusive interview, U.S. sources answering TurDef’s inquiry regarding the possibility of Turkiye returning to the F-35 JSF programme stated that Turkiye’s previous role as an essential industrial partner in the program, from producing central fuselages to being even a sole component supplier is acknowledged. The sources added that growing global demand for the F-35 could open room for renewed Turkish involvement.

Zitat:Turkiye to Buy RAF’s Second-Hand C-130J Super Hercules
01 Dec 2024, 19:54 2 mins

Air Logistics
Turkiye to Buy RAF’s Second-Hand C-130J Super Hercules
It has been reported by Scramble that Turkiye has accepted to purchase 12 used C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from Royal Air Force of United Kingdom.

As reported by Scramble, Turkiye is on the verge of enhancing its tactical airlift capabilities by acquiring 12 ex-Royal Air Force (RAF) C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft. The aircraft is currently based in Cambridge and was taken out of service in June 2022 and formally retired in June 2023.

Zitat:Maiden Flight of the Turkish Air Force’s Hürkuş II Aircraft
30 Dec 2024, 13:44 3 mins

Air
Maiden Flight of the Turkish Air Force’s Hürkuş 2 Aircraft TurDef
Turkish Aerospace announced on social media that the Hürkuş aircraft, which will be used to train Turkish Air Force pilots, had completed its first flight.

In a statement on social media, TUSAŞ stated, “HÜRKUŞ, which will be delivered to our Air Force for the training of our pilots, successfully completed its flight.” The statement included the following technical information about the flight.

✅6,500 feet altitude

✅ 140-knot speed

✅20 minutes flight time

TUSAŞ General Manager Dr. Mehmet Demiroğlu, who made a statement about the flight on his account, said, “HÜRKUŞ, which will enter the inventory of our Air Force in a short time, successfully completed its flight. Seeing our dreams come true one by one shows how close we are to our future goals.”

Demiroğlu also referred to the terrorist attack on TUSAŞ in October and said, “HURKUŞ proudly carried the picture drawn by the daughter of our colleague Ms Zahide, who was martyred in the treacherous terrorist attack.

Zitat:Turkiye’s Eurofighter Deal: Is There a Second Path?
04 Feb 2025, 12:35 3 mins
United Kingdom Spain Turkiye
Analysis Air
Turkiye’s Eurofighter Deal: Is There a Second Path? TurDef
By Özgür Ekşi

Spanish news outlet “La Razón” has recently unveiled how Turkiye would acquire Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The article reads, “ Turkiye intends to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in two stages: an initial batch of 20 from the United Kingdom, followed by 20 freshly manufactured planes. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2026, with full operating capabilities projected by 2030.”



However, the report suggests that the 40 aircraft will consist of Tranche 1 and Tranche 4 configurations. This contradicts Turkiye’s stated expectations, which focus on acquiring Tranche 4 and potentially Tranche 5 aircraft.

The most striking detail in the report is the proposal to transfer 20 second-hand aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF) inventory to the Turkish Air Force. This implies the inclusion of Eurofighter Tranche 1 jets, which conflicts with several previously known statements.

Zitat:Kacır: Gökdoğan Air-to-Air Missile Scores Direct Hit in Test
12 Feb 2025, 17:02 2 mins
Turkiye
Weapon / Missile
Kacır: Gökdoğan Air-to-Air Missile Scores Direct Hit in Test TurDef

Turkiye’s first indigenous beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Gökdoğan, successfully struck a target drone with pinpoint accuracy during a test firing.

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır shared footage of the missile test on his social media account, stating, “Our country’s first indigenous beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Gökdoğan, directly hit the target aircraft during the test firing. A National Technology Initiative for a fully independent Turkiye in critical technologies.” The date stamp in the footage indicated that the test was conducted on 10 February 2025.
Secretary of Defence Industries (SSB) Haluk Görgün also retweeted Kacır’s post, emphasising the importance of air-to-air missile capability for air superiority and deterrence. Görgün stated, “Gökdoğan is a strategic step that strengthens our national capabilities in this field. I congratulate all our institutions, engineers, and industry partners, especially TÜBİTAK SAGE, for this achievement. Strong R&D, strong cooperation, strong Turkiye."