Breaking news
Turkey decides to retire ageing fleet of RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft after three crashes.
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World
Defense & Security News - Turkey |
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| Turkey decides to retire ageing fleet of RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft after three consecutive crashes | |||
Turkey will decommission
its aging RF-4E Phantom fighter jets as of Thursday after three planes
consecutively crashed down in two-week time, Turkish Air Force Commander
Gen Abidin Unal said Wednesday, March 11. Eight U.S. made RF-4E jets,
remained in the Turkish Air Force's inventory, would be terminated after
making their final flights on Thursday, Unal said in a news conference
at military base in Eskisehir where a press briefing was held to inform
about the jets.
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 Turkish Air Force's RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft |
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More
advanced F-16 fighter jets would be used in place of flying reconnaissance
missions, Unal said.
Two RF-4E jets crashed in a training exercise in the eastern province of Malatya on Feb. 24, killing four pilots. In a second accident, an F-4 fighter jet, modernized version of RF-4, crashed in the central Anatolian province of Konya, leaving two Turkish pilots dead. Accidents prompted
public debate on aging jets which were first purchased in the 1970s.
The RF-4E aircraft was expected to remain operational until the end
of 2015, but the accidents have changed inventory plans of the military. Turkey plans to replace the RF-4E's capabilities with Lockheed Martin F-16s carrying UTC Aerospace Systems DB-110 digital reconnaissance pods. Three of the sensors have been received so far for use by 142 Sqn, located at Akinci/Ankara air base. |
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