Winds of Change at Güvercinlik
Carlo Kuit and Paul Kievit of Bronco Aviation visit Turkish Army Aviation
“Train today as you fight and win tomorrow” is the doctrine taught at the Turkish Army base Güvercinlik to students and Turkish Army ( Türk Kara Kuvvetleri, TKK) aviators alike. This Army Aviation School was established in 1957 with re-deployment from Polatli to Güvercinlik. In 2003, the Turkish Aviation Command was reorganised as an independent command directly reporting to Turkish Army Headquarters. Since 1 September 2014 the Army Aviation School is subordinate to the Army Aviation Command and is composed of Headquarters, Aviation Training School, 1st Army Aviation Regiment and Air Transportation Group (Güvercinlik), 2nd Army Aviation Regiment (Malatya) 3rd Army Aviation Regiment (Gaziemir), 4th Army Aviation Regiment (Istanbul) and the Training and Exercise Centre (Bodrum).
In mid-2016 over 184 army aviators were under training at the Army Aviation School, participating in various courses. The first T-129 ATAK helicopter student to be trained in Turkey by the Army Aviation Training School graduated in end- May 2016; all prior T- 129 pilots were experienced Army Aviators trained in Italy with AgustaWestland itself (now Leonardo Helicopters). Lt Col Ahmet Okur is currently the most experienced instructor pilot on the T-129, and was among the twenty-seven pilots that received T-129 training at the Italian Army Training Centre in Viterbo, Italy.
“It has been very helpful to have dedicated training to adapt to the new T-129 platform,” said Lt Col Okur. “Our three-month training course focused on the instructor/test pilot part the longest. We had
about eighty hours of training, compared to sixty hours for a regular combat pilot. Upon return to Güvercinlik we had an additional twenty hours of familiarisation flying organised by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). New students will have forty hours of training on the T-129 during the Combat Battle Readiness phase which is similar to the 32.5 hours of training for the AH-1P/W Cobra students, as flying these helicopters is not too different.”
“A major advantage of the T-129 over the AH- 1 is the Target Sighting Unit (TSU), the ASELFLIR 300T,” points out Lt Col Okur. “As a result we have now more focus on night training. Based on experiences in operational circumstances, training will be altered as we are still shaping the training syllabus for our students. The first goal for our training is to qualify expert- level Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs). The next step will then be training as a pilot on the T-129.”
At the time of the authors’ visit, five instructor pilots and thirty-nine operational pilots were available for the T-129, and an additional fifteen were undergoing training. A total of 5 training classes were running in parallel, ranging from Basic Flying up to the Combat Readiness phase. Before joining the Army Aviation School, pilot candidates first have to complete a computer-based selection test as part of the Pilot Selection System (PSS). The demand for new Army Aviators is high and as a result Güvercinlik is one of the busiest bases within the Turkish Armed Forces today.
Turkish Army Aviation operates over 240 helicopters with approximately 3,100 personnel. Over eighty helicopters, mainly S-70s, AB-205/UH-1s and AB-206Rs, are located at Güvercinlik. The UH-1 fleet commemorated 50 years of service in 2016, with no replacement planned yet, and the TKK is the largest operator of the type in Europe.
“We are currently running a new eighteen-month training programme,” stated Brigade General Ünsal Coskun, Commander of the Aviation Training School. He has been with Turkish Army Aviation for eleven years, and has commended the Aviation Training School for over a year. “The new programme consists of three periods of six months. Students start with Basic Training (Cessna 182T and AB- 206R), followed by an advanced phase (UH-1H/AB-205) and completed with a Combat Battle Readiness phase training either on the S-70A-28D or the fixed wing Cessna T-42A, Cessna421C, the latter for fixed-wing aviators. Students go solo after around 20-30 flying hours, and after the Combat Readiness phase are able to join operational units.”
“Before we started the new programme our students went to 1st Battalion at Güvercinlik operating the UH- 1H. However we came to the conclusion that this was not the best solution to prepare the students for daily operations. Nowadays the Combat Battle Readiness phase is part of the Aviation Training School. We send combat ready pilots directly to the units after their training. Then they are capable in night flying, mountain flying and operations over water. It is a really tough programme to get through. As a result of our new training approach there is no need for a transition phase for a graduate pilot when assigned to a specific operational unit, and this works most efficiently for all of us,” explained Brigade General Coskun.
The Brigade General continued: “The Turkish Army on an average has a demand for about 110 new pilots each year. In order to be able to execute all our tasks we have a group of 84 instructor pilots who are involved in basic training or are tasked as maintenance test pilots. We also conduct training for the Navy ( Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri), Military Police ( Türk Jandarma Havaçilik Komutanligi) and police units ( Turkish Ministry of the Interior). Because of the refugee crisis there is an additional demand for police and Coast Guard ( Sahil Güvenlik Komutanlığı) pilots.”
“The first two phases ( basic and advanced) of pilot training will be conducted at a new base in Isparta. The move to this new airfield is planned for 2017. We will have an area of 30 square miles with mountains and lakes at our disposal for various training scenarios and the infrastructure is ready for the forthcoming move,” revealed Brigade General Coskun, whose primary job is now to prepare for the re-location to Isparta. The primary reason for the move is the amount of training sorties that must be accommodated alongside daily operations of other co-located units at Güvercinlik. Complicating factors are the nearby Air Force base at Etismesgut, only 4 km to the west, and the densely populated capital city of Ankara some 10 km to the east.
Between 1998 and 2015, a total of 119 pilots and 304 technicians from seventeen different countries, such as Albania, Azerbaijan, China, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, have been trained at Güvercinlik. Based on positive feedback gained an application was made to become a Helicopter Training Centre under NATO’s ‘Smart Defence’ initiative, resulting in establishment of a Multinational Military Flight Crew Training School ( MMFCTS) in 2015. MMFCTS opens Turkish Army training capabilities to NATO and other partner countries, and the programme includes basic and advanced rotary-wing training, and flight crew and ground crew training similar to the syllabus for Turkish pilots. Brigade General Coskun adds: “Advantages of this concept are lower costs by operating from one central location, and increased interoperability among countries for future operations. The flight training tactics are in line with NATO’s operational requirements and with FAA/ ICAO standards.”
In mid-2016, three Albanian and two Cypriot mechanics were conducting a twelve-month training course, but Brigade General Coskun is quick to point out that “primary focus remains the training of our own Army pilots and crews.” A co- operation agreement with the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) and the Turkish Army has also been implemented, including a new exchange programme. Focus of this programme will be Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions, and pilot exchanges will typically last for a period of six months, in which three months will be spent at Güvercinlik and three months in Istanbul.
At present, the main focus with both the Aviation Training School and 1st regiment are the introduction of the T-129 ATAK and six newly acquired CH-47F Chinook helicopters. On 16 November, three CH47Fs were delivered to the Army Aviation Command at Güvercinlik, bringing the total in service to six. To support the heavy lift capabilities new maintenance infrastructure and hangars have been built and more personnel trained. The initial batch consists of 6 CH- 47Fs: five for the Special Air Group Command ( Özel Hava Grup) and one for the Genelkurmay (General Staff).
On 14 October 2016, TAI delivered the seventeenth T-129 ATAK helicopter to the 1st Taarruz Helicopter Taburu (Assault Helicopter Battalion) of the 2nci Kara
Havacilik Alay Komutanligi (Army Aviation Regiment Command) based in Malaty. The ATAK was selected nine years ago for the TKK with development and production under the ‘ATAK Team,’ a partnership of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and AgustaWestland. The first TAI-built T-129 was delivered to the Turkish Army on 22 April 2014. The T-129 fleet has mainly operating out of Malatya in southeast Turkey and is expected to be permanently located at this airbase.
Developed from the Agusta Westland A-129CBT the main differences compared to the ATAK are a new system philosophy with new engines ( LHTEC CTS 8004A) to support mountain operations, new avionics and weapons, a modified airframe, upgraded drive train and a new tail rotor. The first three T-129As to be based at Güvercinlik were delivered in July 2016, and a representative of TAI was positioned at the Maintenance Battalion in June to support the induction. The ‘Phase-1’ configuration of the T-129, which is currently in service, is armed with a combination of 2x4 UMTAS ATGMs (or Hellfire/Spike), 4x19 70 mm unguided rockets, 4x24 70 mm Guided CİRİT rockets, and 2x2 Stinger ATAM. Phase-2 will mainly add electronic warfare capabilities to the platform.
In anticipation of T-129 deliveries to the Attack Battalion ( Taarruz Helikopter Taburu) in 2015, the first four AH-1Ps have been taken out of service. “The maintenance of the AH- 1P/ W fleet is becoming more challenging, especially the gun system,” stated Lt Col Murat Bolat, the Maintenance Battalion Commander. “Acquisition of spare parts is not easy through the FMS programme and it is too costly to start production of old parts.” On an average the AH-1 fleet goes through 200-hour maintenance cycles in which O (Operational) and I (Intermediate) level maintenance is performed. Depot level maintenance is performed by the 5th Maintenance Centre Command located at Güvercinlik.
In addition to the Army Aviation School, a number of other units are located at Güvercinlik. The Hava Ulatirma Grup Komutanligi (Air Transport Group), which can trace its origins back to a Liaison Flight formed in 1951 in Polatli, is tasked with Command and Liaison flights (VIP), personnel and material transport, courier service, medevac, etc. It operates a mix of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The Group has four AS.532UL Cougars on strength with two in VIP configuration, and another in AS.532USAR configuration, along with five Beech 200 Super King Airs. The 5th Maintenance Centre Command conducts depot level maintenance on all helicopter and fixed wing aircraft of the Turkish Army Aviation Command except for the CH- 47Fs, which will undergo D-level maintenance in the US.
Another long- term resident is the Helikopter Taburu ( Attack Helicopter Battalion), which has the distinction of being the first helicopter unit in Turkish Army Aviation, formed in 1966 operating OH- 13 helicopters. Its personnel and aircraft regularly rotate to southeastern Turkey, and the unit also supplies helicopters for the rotary- wing training activities in the School. It is capable of operating by day and night, and the pilots are qualified for all weather operations. The first two Textron AH- 1W Super Cobras were delivered to the Battalion in September 1990. In March 1991, the first two AH-1Ws were deployed to Diyarbakir in support of security forces. The Attack Helicopter Battalion comprises of three Filos (Squadrons), one with nine AH-1Ws, and two Filos each with AH-1P/S Cobras. The fleet has recently undergone an upgrade programme by ASELSAN, implementing a self-defence package consisting of an EADS missile launch detection system and chaff and flare dispensers (MILDS).
The 1st Regiment, also based at Güvercinlik, operates a mixture of S-70A28D Blackhawk and UH-1 Huey helicopters. During the authors’ visit a number of S-70A-28Ds were seen in various stages of upgrade, receiving the Helicopter Electronic Warfare System (HEWS) package. This self- protection kit consist of 12 sensors including radar warning and jamming and laser detection with a RIAS-ANT-4 laser guided missile detector located in the tail, LIAS-S3 laser detector, FIS-S2 IR sensor, RFKS-Göndermec-1 for Radar Jamming (ECM), a jammer in the nose, and an ‘Özisik’ countermeasure dispensing system. In order to be able to operate the HEWS systems pilots have a short familiarisation course. There is no need for any additional sensor operator, as all sensors are autonomous. Besides the implementation of HEWS, ASELSAN is supporting a general cockpit upgrade programme that will see all S-70A28Ds equipped with four MFDs.
Going through a wind of change, the Turkish Army Aviation has high hopes for the future.