Turkish Air Force

The Turkish Air Force on June 1 marked its 109th anniversary.

Marking the occasion, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar released a message lauding the air force's modern technology and top-flight personnel with over a century of experience.

Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish jets, all part of the NATO Air Policing, intercepted a Russian aircraft on May 19, which was flying close to the NATO air space, the Allied Command Operations (ACO) said.

According to a written statement by NATO Allied Air Command on May 21, the Alliance Quick Reacting Alert jets were dispatched to prevent Russia from entering the air space.

Russia will have no access to the S-400s after all the technical procedures are completed, the head of the Turkish Defense Industry has said, describing this as a "red line" concerning ongoing cooperation with the Russians on the air defense systems.

Turkish F-16 warplanes will fly over the country's capital Ankara on Monday to test its new Russian S-400 missile defenses, Turkish media said, despite pressure from Washington for Turkey to drop the system. 

As Turkish jets continued to violate Greek air space over the Aegean Tuesday, Greek defense sources played down reports that Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar flew over the Aegean Sea in a jet trainer.

Turkish and U.S. defense chiefs exchanged views on Syria and the F-35 fighter jet project on June 26, according to a statement from Turkey's National Defense Ministry.         

The mockup of Turkey's first national combat jet- the Turkish Aerospace Industries' (TAI)-developed TF-X made debut on June 18 in the Paris Air Show, the largest aerospace-industry event in the world.

The United States is seriously considering suspending training for Turkish pilots on advanced F-35 fighter jets as Ankara moves ahead with plans to purchase a Russian missile defense system despite objections from Washington, sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said he sees an improvement in talks with the United States over the purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems and U.S. F-35 fighter jets.

A pair of Turkish Air Force F-16s violated Greek air space on Monday, flying over the eastern Aegean island cluster of Oinousses.
The jets passed over Oinousses at 15.55 p.m. at an altitude of 27,000 feet, according to Greek defense officials.