In Konya, an F-5 fighter jet belonging to the Turkish Air Force (THK) crashed while it was about to land at the 3rd Main Jet Base. According to the information obtained, the pilot of this training plane, who is a part of the Turkish Stars aerobatic team, realized the seriousness of the incident and activated the ejection seat mechanism and survived the accident without injury. It was stated that the pilot was in good health and there were no serious injuries.
F-5 used by Turkish Stars crashed!
Turkish Stars is known as one of the prestigious aerobatic teams of the Turkish Air Force and usually uses old model warplanes. However, the team came to the fore with some unfortunate events in recent years. Turkish Stars, which loses an aircraft almost every year, had an accident/destruction during a routine training flight in 2021 and as a result of a bird strike in 2022.
Although this latest incident is recorded as a loss for Turkish Stars and the Turkish Air Force in general, it is pleasing that the pilot is in good health. It is stated that a detailed investigation has been launched into the cause of the accident and the results will be shared with the public.
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Finally, Konya Governor Vahdettin Özkan announced that a personnel using a construction equipment was martyred at the construction site where the military plane crashed.
F-5 technical specifications:
- Length: 47 feet 3 inches
- Wingspan: 25 feet 8 inches
- Maximum Weight: 14,732 lb
- Engine: 2 x General Electric J-85-CAN-15
- Engine Power: 4300 lb thrust each
- Maximum Speed: 1.72 Mach / 710 Knots (approximately 1315 km/h)
- NF-5A model has a capacity of 1 pilot and NF-5B model has a capacity of 2 pilots.
Turkish Air Force history of NF-5s
Northrop F-5, or simply NF-5, joined the Turkish Air Force inventory in the late 1980s and was used in important operations. These include the Cyprus Operation and the Kardak Crisis in the 90s.
They were assigned to protect Turkey’s western borders in these operations. F-5s took part only in daytime intercept missions during the Cyprus Operation due to the lack of radar systems.
It then underwent a series of modernizations in the early 2000s. In this context, fly-by-wire systems are installed on aircraft, HUD (Head-Up Display), MFD (Multi-Function Displays), RWR (Radar Warning Receiver), HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick), CNI (Communication, Navigation, and Identification) advanced avionics systems such as radio and GPS were added.
These modernizations have significantly increased the training and operational capabilities of the Turkish Air Force. Today, NF-5 aircraft have gained an important place in Turkey’s aviation history with their key role in the Turkish Stars’ demonstration flights.