Turkish Stars
The Turkish Stars are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey.
The Turkish Stars is the seventh and final aerobatic team established under the Turkish Air Force. The team was formed on 7 November 1992. The Turkish Stars are stationed at the 3rd Main Jet Base Command. The official name of the squadron is 134th Aerobatic Squadron Command. The Turkish Stars operate with NF-5A/B aircraft. The team's motto is "A perfect harmony of skill, speed, and discipline."
When the Turkish Stars were first established, they started with 4 aircraft, increased to 6 aircraft in 1994, 7 aircraft in 1995, and reached 8 aircraft in 2004.
The future aircraft for the Turkish Stars is planned to be the TAI Hürjet.
On 24 August 2001, the Turkish Stars demonstrated at an airshow to more than one million people in Baku, Azerbaijan, setting a world record.
, Major Kürşat Kömür serve as fleet commander of Turkish Stars.
History
An official decree was issued on 7 November 1992, for the establishment of the team, and training began on 25 December 1992, with four NF-5 aircraft. The Turkish Stars is also one of the few teams in the world that performs aerobatic demonstrations with supersonic aircraft.The aerobatic team, named the "Turkish Stars," performed its first show on 18 June 1993, with four NF-5A/B Freedom Fighter aircraft at the 4th Main Jet Base Command in the Akıncı region of Ankara. The Turkish Stars were introduced to the Turkish public on 5 October 1994, during the Republic Day celebrations at the 8th Main Jet Base Command in Diyarbakır. The team’s 100th performance was held on 29 October 2000, during Republic Day celebrations at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Ankara.
On 24 August 2001, the Turkish Stars set a world record by performing an airshow in Baku, Azerbaijan, for over one million people.
Aircraft
The NF-5 aircraft used by the Turkish Stars were first introduced into the Turkish Air Force inventory in 1987. These aircraft were an excellent choice for aerobatic performances due to their flight systems and performance, especially when compared to other aircraft of the time. In fact, according to global aviation literature, the design of the F-5 family is considered one of the most ideal designs for supersonic jet flights.In 1993, a modification project was initiated at the 1st Air Supply Maintenance Center Command in Eskişehir, which focused on transforming the NF-5s to further enhance their capabilities for aerobatic displays. Several important changes were made to the aircraft, making them even more suitable for show performances:
To make training and display flights more efficient and to simplify flight evaluations, a three-axis VTR was added to the Turkish Stars' aircraft in 2000. Currently, the Turkish Stars fleet consists of 7 NF-5A 2000 and 6 NF-5B 2000 aircraft.
Flight Performance Limits
The Turkish Stars shows consist of three main performance packages: High, Low and Flat Demo Package. These packages define different flight levels and types of maneuvers used in air demonstrations.In the High and Low Demo Packages, dynamic maneuvers involving formation and solo performances are demonstrated, while in the Flat Demo Package, transitions in various formation patterns are performed. During these shows, the distance between two aircraft can often come as close as 1 meter. In these types of displays, pilots experience forces ranging from around 5.5 to 6G in formation maneuvers and from -3G to +7.3G in solo flights, which are the aircraft's limits.
The speed of flights during Turkish Stars' performances ranges from 200 knots to 520 knots. These maneuvers are performed entirely manually with pilots relying on their psychomotor skills including hand, foot and eye coordination.
Incidents
On 13 March 2012, one of the team's NF-5 fighter planes crashed during a training session in Konya Province, 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.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.
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.
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. 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.