Notes from Anatolian Eagle 2021/2 Training Press Day Activity
In order to increase the operational training levels of pilots, air defense personnel and controllers in an environment that simulates real operations, to test and develop joint and combined operation procedures, to minimize losses in real operational conditions and to maximize mission effectiveness; The 44th Anatolian Eagle Training, which is carried out nationally and/or internationally every year, is held between 21 June and 02 July 2021 at the 3rd Main Jet Base Command, affiliated with the Turkish Air Force Combat Air Forces Command. The Press Day activity of the Anatolian Eagle 2021 Training was held on June 30, 2021, with the participation of nearly 160 reporters and photographers/spotters from local and foreign written and visual media organizations.
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International Anatolian Eagle-2021 Training, 3rd Main Jet Base Command in Konya/Selçuklu, Turkish Naval and Air Force Commands (38 F-16s from 6 F-16 Squadrons, 1 E-7T HİK Aircraft, 2 KC-135R and 1 ANKA -A total of 42 aircraft, 29 of which were transferred to the base and 13 of which participated without transfer) with its elements from Azerbaijan (2 Mig-29 and 2 Su-25, participating in AK Training by aircraft for the first time), Pakistan (5 JF-17), Qatar Air Force (4 Rafale) and NATO AWACS (1 E-3A AWACS) elements are actually deployed in Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Iraq, Sweden, Kosovo, Lebanon, Hungary, Malaysia, Nigeria. It is carried out with the participation of Romania, Tunisia, Ukraine, Oman, Jordan and Japan with observer status.
According to the information shared by Lieutenant Colonel Turgay TÜMER, Commander of the Anatolian Eagle Training Center, the Anatolian Eagle Training Center is one of the three tactical training centers with similar facilities in the world and the only tactical training center in Europe. The exercise area is 300km x 400km (120nm x 216nm, there is also a 140nm x 75nm exercise area for Naval Missions in the Eastern Mediterranean) in the area covering Tuz Lake and its surroundings. According to the shared information, since the establishment of the Anatolian Eagle Training Center in 2001, it has been implemented in a total of 43 training periods with the participation of 15 countries, 24 international and 19 national, with the participation of 35,657 personnel and 2,920 aircraft, and 24,222 sorties (38,827 hours) of flights have been made. In the Press Briefing given in the AK-2016/2 Training, which was the Anatolian Eagle Training that I last followed and was carried out with the participation of a total of 67 aircraft and 1,205 personnel, 38 Anatolian Eagle Training was conducted with the participation of 14 friendly and allied countries and NATO elements and 32,367 personnel were involved. It was pointed out that during these trainings, a total of 34,000 flight hours were achieved in 22,869 sorties with 2,674 aircraft. Within the scope of Anatolian Eagle Training, two separate Eagle Sorties are planned a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. The Red Role in the trainings is played by 8 F-16C/D Aircraft belonging to the 132nd Fleet Command. SDT product national ACMI Pod is used in 4 of the aircraft.
At the Press Day event, a short Press Briefing on AK-2021/2 Training was held in the morning hours by Anatolian Eagle Training Center Commander Lieutenant Colonel Turgay TÜMER at the Anatolian Eagle Training Center (AKEM) Briefing Hall. Then, we moved to the aircraft parking area and runway area to watch the takeoffs of the planes that will make flights (Eagle sorties) within the scope of the training. After the takeoffs and the landing and arrival of the two F-4E 2020 aircraft returning from the flight were photographed, we went to the Kartal Dining Hall for lunch. Within the scope of the afternoon program, the show of the Mehteran Company was watched first. Subsequently, a group of press members was taken near the runway to watch the landing of the planes taking off in the morning, while another group was stationed in another area to watch the Solo Turk and Turkish Stars show. Following the completion of the flight demonstrations, we went back to the AKEM Briefing Hall. Here, firstly, the very comprehensive MMU/TF-X Project Presentation made by Turkish Air Force National Combat Aircraft Program Director Colonel Cihangir YAY was followed. Then, 3rd AJÜ Commander Air Pilot Brigadier General Fidan YÜKSEL gave a short speech about AK-2021/2 Training and shared some figures with the audience. The Press Day activity ended with the evaluation and thank you speech of Air Force Commander General Hasan KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ regarding the Anatolian Eagle Trainings.
MMU/TF-X Project Presentation
I will briefly share with you the notes I took at the MMU/TF-X Project Presentation made by Turkish Air Force National Combat Aircraft (MMU/TF-X) Program Director Colonel Cihangir YAY, which contained striking information, some of which had not been shared before:
In his presentation in English, Colonel YAY pointed out that MMU/TF-X was designed to meet the operational needs between 2030 and 2070. Stating that the System Requirements Review (SSR) Phase, which is currently ongoing, is about to be completed, Colonel YAY said that the System Functionality Review (SFR) Phase will be completed by the end of 2021. Noting that the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) Phase of the project will be completed in 2023, Col. YAY stated that they were a little behind the calendar as the year 2022 was mentioned in the slide they shared, but they were making an intense effort to catch up. With the completion of the PDR Phase, the Preliminary Design Phase of the Project will also be completed. Within the scope of the Detailed Design and Qualification Phase, Roll-Out activity/ceremony will be held in 2023 in accordance with the MMU/TF-X Program Plan. Subsequently, the Critical Design Review (CDR) Phase is expected to be completed in 2024. Subsequently, the MMU/TF-X Block-0 Aircraft will be delivered in 2025 and the first flight will take place in the last quarter of 2026. Within the scope of the Detailed Design and Qualification Phase, 3 Development Aircraft will be produced by the end of 2026 (in Block-0 configuration). MMU/TF-X Block-I Aircraft will be produced at the end of 2029 and more than 10 MMU/TF-X will be produced between 2020-2033 under the IOC/FOC (Initial Operational Capability/Full Operational Capability) Declaration & Mass Production Blocks Phase, which will cover the years 2030 – 2040+. TF-X Block-I Aircraft production will be carried out between 2034 and 2040. Additional Block models (such as Block-2, Block-3 and Block-4, Block names were given as Block-10/20/30/40 in other sources) will be produced between 2034 and 2040.
Alb. A slide shared by YAY during its presentation also included information about the weapons/task payload that the MMU/TF-X Aircraft will carry at internal and external stations. Accordingly, Air-Air Weapon Load; It will consist of BVR missiles such as METEOR, AMRAAM, MICA and GÖKDOĞAN, WVR missiles such as AIM-9X, ASRAAM and BOZDOĞAN and a missile named SPEAR/MIZRAK. The name SPEAR initially brings to mind the MBDA product air-ground smart ammunition, but since it is included in the Air-Air Weapon Payload section, it can be thought that this missile is a missile model being developed by national means. Speaking at the Precision Guidance Kit-82 Delivery Ceremony held recently on June 24, 2021, MSB Hulusi AKAR announced that the BVR air-to-air missile with ramjet engine (that is why it is called the national METEOR Missile), whose work was officially started by TÜBİTAK SAGE a few months ago, was named GÖKHAN. . The MMU/TF-X Aircraft will also feature a single-barreled internal cannon. MMU/TF-X's Air-Air Weapon Payload is SOM-B1/B2 and SOM-J, HGK-82/83/84, KGK-82/83, LGK-82/84, National SDB (Small Diameter Bomb). It will consist of NEB, TEBER-82/83, GBU-10/12/24/31/38/54, Mk-82/84 and AKBABA National Anti-Radiation Missile, which was mentioned in an official presentation for the first time. Capable of carrying up to 1,000lb of weapons on internal weapon stations, the MMU/TF-X will also be able to carry the Recon Pod and 600- and 370-gallon fuel tanks on external payload stations.
Alb. YAY pointed out that the MMU/TF-X, which will be in F-15 dimensions, will have Supercruise (supersonic flight without activating the afterburner) capability. In the shared slides, it was emphasized that the Supercruise speed of the MMU/TF-X will be below the 5th generation fighter aircraft, and its maximum flight speed, although above today's air-ground attack aircraft, will be below the average air-air aircraft and 5th generation air superiority aircraft. On the other hand, MMU/TF-X will be able to accelerate at transonic (speeds just below or just above the speed of sound) in a shorter time compared to 4.5th generation fighter jets. Alb. YAY pointed out that Mach 1.6 and Mach 2.0 are sufficient speeds for the tasks defined by the HvKK. Alb. YAY also emphasized that MMU/TF-X can perform both SEAD and DEAD missions and shared a few slides regarding the mission scenarios in question.
Alb. Another noteworthy slide/information in the presentation made by YAY was the slide regarding the targeted RCS (Radar Cross Section Area) value for MMU/TF-X. The target RCS value for MMU/TF-X in the slide was -10 to -20 dBsm (0.1m2 to 0.01m2, Low Observabelity). Alb. YAY stated that anything beyond this would be beyond them under current conditions. Since RCS = 10 (Decibels/10), the resulting RCS value will be between 0.1m2 and 0.01m2. Experts familiar with the subject to whom I consulted pointed out that the RCS value of 0.01/1m2 was reasonable and stated that if they had come up with a target of 0.00001, it would not have been convincing anyway. One of the experts commented on the subject as follows: “It is surprising that they give a figure such as -10 to -20 dBsm. Even with this design, stealth is lost at 30° and 140°. "So it would have been more convincing if they had given the dBsm value between 0-20," he said.
Later, the 3rd AJÜ Commander, Air Pilot Brigadier General Fidan YÜKSEL, came to the podium and gave a short speech in English about the purpose of the Anatolian Eagle Training and the participation in the AK-2021/2 Training. Lieutenant General explained that a total of 20 aircraft from 3 foreign countries, namely Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Qatar, and NATO (14 was written on the slide, I guess they reached this number with their spares) participated in the AK-2021/2 Training. YÜKSEL said that HvKK participated with a total of 44 aircraft in different roles and types. Within the scope of AK-2021/2 Training, which started on June 14, 2021 (transfer of aircraft and personnel to the 3rd AJU), a total of 441 Eagle Sorties were planned (330 of which were performed by Blue elements) and in this context, 26 air-ground targets ( He noted that an attack would be carried out (with 87 ammunition). Brigadier YÜKSEL said, “We are on the 8th day of the training and we have flown a significant part of the planned sorties. "The flights will be completed on July 2, 2021," he said. Air Force Commander General Hasan KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ, who came to the podium for the closing and thank you speech, said that AK-2021/2 Training will be held between 21 June and 2 July 2021 (deployment of participating elements, initial briefings and environmental familiarization flights took place between 14-18 July) 21 He said that 44 observer personnel and nearly 160 local and foreign press members from the country were following the incident. Pointing out that AK Trainings play an important role by contributing to the trust and cooperation between Turkey's friends, HvKK Org. KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ emphasized that one of the main purposes of Anatolian Eagle Training is to meet the operational training needs and increase the combat readiness level of the personnel. Organ. KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ said, "Considering the statistics of the past years and the ongoing training, I consider that the exercise has achieved its purpose." Org underlined that despite the ever-changing nature of technology, the only unchanging need is modern weapons and warfare vehicles as well as trained manpower. KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ said, "The most important force multiplier of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) is its trained and qualified personnel." Organ. In the last part of his speech, KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ thanked the staff of the participating countries and wished them a safe journey back, saying, "Good luck and good luck."
Photos ©DefenceTurkey - İbrahim SÜNNETÇİ. 
