Freedom Fighter in Service with Turkey

Last revised January 1, 2000




Turkey occupies a strategic position on Europe's southern flank and was an early member of NATO.

Beginning in 1965, the Turk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) received 75 F-5As, 20 RF-5As, and 13 F-5Bs through MAP. They were delivered to 161 and 163 Filo at Bandirma, 142 and 143 Filo at Merzifon, and 192 Filo at Balikesir. These deliveries took seven years to complete. The F-5s replaced the large numbers of F-100 Super Sabres still in service, the last F-100 not being phased out until 1987. 163 Filo became 162 Filo after 1972. 184 Filo replaced its RF-84Fs with RF-5As from 162 Filo in July of 1976, with 162 Filo then acquiring 12 new RF-5As.

A reorganization in 1971 led to many THK units being renumbered. At Bandirma, 163 Filo became 162, whereas at Merzifon 142 and 143 became 151 and 152.

Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, US aid was temporarily suspended. During this period Libya transferred six F-5As and one F-5B to the THK. Assistance from NATO was soon restored, and large numbers of surplus F-5s were then transferred to Turkey. Between 1983 and 1987, Norway's Kongelige Norkse Luftforsvaret transferred 26 F-5As and six RF-5As to the THK. These went to Filo 162. Four F-5Bs were received from the stocks of USAF, and six F-5As and 3 F-5Bs were transferred to Turkey from Taiwan in 1989. 44 NF-5As and 16 NF-5Bs were transferred from the Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu) between 1989 and 1991. However, not all of these were flyable. They were used to establish the new OCU, 133 Filo.

During the late 1980s, Turkey gave some thought to manufacturing the more advanced F-5E version under license at TAI, but opted instead to build the F-16, beginning in 1987.

Once very numerous in Turkish service, the Freedom Fighters have been slowly edged out of service in recent years and now serve on active duty with only two squadrons--151 Filo and 152 Filo, both based at Merzifon. The surviving RF-5As served for a while with 184 Filo at Diyarbakir, which also operated a couple of F-5B two-seaters. 184 Filo disbanded on June 18, 1994 and passed along its aircraft to 151 and 152 Filo, where they were returned to fighter status. The bulk of the fleet is assigned the ground-attack role and a secondary air-defense role, although most are not AIM-9 capable. The ex-Dutch NF-5s are currently operated by 133 Filo based at Konya, which is the OCU for pilots destined for F-5, F-4, and F-16 squadrons of the THK. The 132 Taktik-Akrobosi Filo, also based at Konya, is a special training unit equipped with F-4Es and F-5A/Bs. This squadron also operates the Turk Yildizlari (Turkish Stars) aerobatic team, which flies six F-5As.

The THK has such an enormous spares reserve that the F-5 is likely to remain in service for many years. THK F-5s are currently being subjected to an avionics update to make their cockpits compatible with the F-16, which has become the primary fighter of the THK. At the same time a computerized weapons delivery system is being introduced. Another upgrade has been proposed by Triton Systems, a Washington DC-based investment firm which would head up a team from Rockwell International, Sierra Technologies, and Northrop-Grumman. Under this plan, 70 THK F-5A/Bs would be converted into lead-in trainers for the THK's F-16 fleet. In order to help pay for the upgrade, 36 of the THK's F-5s would be sold.

Sources:


  1. F-5: Warplane for the World, Robbie Shaw, Motorbooks, 1990

  2. Modernizing the THK, Paolo Rollino and Renzo Sacchetti, Air International, November 1994.

  3. Northrop F-5, Jon Lake and Robert Hewson, World Airpower Journal, Vol 25, 1996.