Türk ordusu türk askeri pkk operasyonu turkish army cyprus By 1940, Turkish Air Force had more than 500 combat aircraft in its inventory, becoming the largest Air Force on the Balkans and the Middle East. The growing inventory of the Air Force required another structural change, which was made in 1940. The Air Force under the Milli Savunma Bakanlığı (Ministry of National Defense) for logistical affairs and the General Staff for educational affairs were united to form the Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı (Air Force Command). Thus, the Air Force became a separate branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The first commander-in-chief was General Zeki Doğan.Even though Turkey did not enter the Second World War on the side of the Allies until February 1945 (in accordance with the agreements made during the Second Cairo Conference), the Turkish Armed Forces went on full alert and was prepared for war following the military alliance between neighbouring Bulgaria and the Axis Powers which was in essence established with the Treaty of Craiova in September 1940 and formalized in March 1941, and the occupation of neighbouring Greece by the Axis Powers in April 1941. Within a year, Turkey's borders were surrounded by German forces in the northwest and west, and Italian forces in the southwest. Turkish Air Force made daily reconnaissance flights over Bulgaria, Greece, the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea, and the Dodecanese Islands which then belonged to Italy, for controlling the positions of the Axis forces. The large cities in western Turkey were darkened at nights, and anti-aircraft guns, aided by spot lights, controlled the skies for possible enemy planes. A war economy was imposed, and basic commodities including food and bread were rationed in preparation for the worst-case scenario. Almost all available money in the Turkish Government Treasury was used to purchase new weapons from any available provider in the world. Turkish Air Force received large numbers of new aircraft in this period, including Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I/V/IX/XIX, Curtiss Falcon CW-22R/B, Fairey Battle-I, Avro Anson-I, Hawker Hurricane I/II, Morane Saulnier MS-406, Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, Westland Lysander-I, Consolidated Liberator 3B-24D, Bristol Blenheim IV/V, Bristol Beaufort, Bristol Beaufighter Mk.I/X, Focke Wulf FW-190-A3, Martin Baltimore-187, De Havilland DH-98 Mk.III/IV, B-26B/C Invader, P-47D Thunderbolt and C-47A/B Dakota.The Hava Teknik Okullar Komutanlığı (Air Force Technical School Command) was founded in 1950 to unite schools responsible for training non-pilot Air Force personnel. In 1950 it also was decided to upgrade the Air Force fleet through the inclusion of jets. Eight pilots were sent to the USA to receive flight education. They graduated in 1951 and started training jet-pilots in the Turkish Air Force. In the same year, the 9th Fighter Wing (9uncu Ana Jet Üssü) was founded in Balıkesir as Turkey's first fighter wing; the 191st, 192nd, and 193rd squadrons being the first ones which were established. Further training in the United States followed, usually involving jet manufacturers.In the Korean War, Turkish pilots were assigned with reconnaissance missions.Upon Turkey's inclusion in NATO in 1952, the process of modernization was accelerated.In 1962 the Taktik Hava Kuvveti (Tactical Air Force) was founded by upgrading the Hava Tümens (an air unit) to a corps-level organization. In 1956 the Hava Eğitim Kolordu Komutanlığı (Air Education Corps Command) was founded and all education was united under this command. The command was renamed as Hava Eğitim Komutanlığı (Air Education Command) in 1957.In 1974 the Air Force was employed in the Cyprus War.With the arrival of 3rd generation fighter jets in 1980, the Air Force was slightly reorganized. Turkish Air Force took part in the Operation Deliberate Force of 1995 and Operation Allied Force of 1999, and later participated in the UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, employing two squadrons (one in the Ghedi fighter wing, and after 2000 one in the Aviano fighter wing). They returned to Turkey in 2001. In 2006, 4 Turkish F-16 fighter jets were deployed for NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation.On July 11, 2002 Turkey became a Level 3 partner of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development program, and on January 25, 2007, Turkey officially joined the production phase of the JSF program, agreeing to initially purchase at least 100 F-35A Lightning II aircraft

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