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 TAIHurjet 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
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]
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]
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