Anatolian Eagle
Encyclopedia
Anatolian Eagle is an air force exercise hosted by the Turkish Air Force
and held in Konya
, Turkey
. There are both national and international exercises held, the international exercises usually involving air arms of the USA
, other NATO forces and Asian countries.
realised the philosophy that "no matter how modern the weapons are, it is men that use them." When the TAF gained experience during internal security operations and the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo Wars, it was decided that the TAF had reached a performance level where it could host the air forces of other countries in exercises and provide training to them. The Anatolian Eagle exercises are stated to be similar to the USA's Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base
. The TAF first sent observers to Red Flag in 1983 and participated for the first time in 1997 with six F-16s and 57 personnel. The first exercise, Anatolian Eagle 01, was held by TAF Operations Command on 18–29 June 2001. As well as Turkey, the air forces of USA and Israel also participated.
During the training exercise, the location, position and flight information of participating aircraft is transferred to a Command Control Centre (CCC) via an Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) system. Radar tracks and missile shots from SAM systems, AWACS aircraft, land-based radars and other anti-aircraft systems are also transferred to the CCC. Pre-flight briefings and post-flight de-briefings are carried out in the CCC where there is a briefing hall with capacity of 450 people. Sorties during the AE exercise are controlled and commanded at the MASE (Multi Aegis Site Emulator) Operation Center. Airspace for Anatolian Eagle is 200 nm from east to west and 150 nm from north to south. The main operations airspace, also known as the Salt Area, can be used from ground level up to 50,000 feet. During the exercise, AWACS aircraft give command and control support to Blue Forces and a land-based radar gives GCI support to the Red Forces. Air-to-air refuelling tankers refuel aircraft of both forces.
The Red Force personnel conduct their planning and briefings in the Red Building, while the national and foreign participants do the same in the Blue 1, Blue 2 and Blue 3 buildings. Red Force is restricted to their own Red Building, and nobody else can enter Red Building. Participants are housed in dormitories.
had criticised the Israeli President
over the invasion; the Turks denied that the cancellation had been political.
Chinese Flankers
used the Konya facilities to exercise with Turkish F-4E Phantoms between 20 Sept and 4 Oct 2010. Turkey does not appear to regard these exercises as part of the official Anatolian Eagle series, despite the media reporting them as such. US officials worried that the exercises would allow the Chinese access to Western technology and an understanding of NATO tactics.
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Dates held
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Participating air arms
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Notes
|-valign="top"
|AE 01
| 18-29 June 2001
| Turkey, Israel, USA
|
|-
| AE 02/1
| 22 April - 3 May 2002
| Turkey, USA
|
|-
| AE 02/3
| 14-25 October 2002
| Turkey, UAE, USA
|
|-
| AE 03/3
| 03-14 November 2003
| Turkey, Israel, Germany, USA
|
|-
| AE 04/1
| 05-16 April 2004
| National
|
|-
| AE 04/2
| 7-18 June 2004
| Turkey, Israel, Jordan, USA
|
|-
| AE 04/3
| 27 September - 8 October 2004
| Turkey, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Pakistan, USA
|
|-
| AE 05/1
| 04-15 April 2005
| National
|
|-
| AE-05/3
| 12-23 September 2005
| Turkey, France, Italy, Netherlands.
|
|-
| AE-05/4
| 14-25 November 2005
| Turkey, Belgium, Israel, USA.
|
|-
| AE-06/1
| 24 April-05 May 2006
| National
|
|-
| AE-06/2
|12-22 June 2006
|Turkey, France, NATO, Pakistan, USA
|
|-
|AE-06/3
|04-15 September 2006
|Turkey, NATO
|
|-
|AE-06/4
|06-18 November 2006
|Turkey, NATO, USA
|
|-
|AE-07/2
|11 – 22 June 2007
|Turkey, Jordan, NATO, Pakistan, UK, USA
|6x Tornado GR4 of 14 Sqn RAF
|-
|AE-07/3
|03 – 14 September 2007
|National
|
|-
|AE-07/4
|05 – 16 November 2007
|National
|
|-
|AE-08/1
|05 - 16 May 2008
|National
|
|-
|AE-08/2
|09 – 20 June 2008
|Turkey, Jordan, NATO, UAE, USA
|
|-
|AE-08/3
|08 - 19 September 2008
|Turkey, Israel, Italy, USA
|
|-
|AE-08/4
|03 - 14 November 2008
|Turkey, Pakistan
|-
|AE-09/1
|27 April - 8 May 2009
|National
|
|-
|AE-09/2
|08 - 19 June 2009
|Turkey, Jordan, NATO, UAE, UK, USA
|First participation in AE by RAF Typhoons
.
|-
|AE-09/3
|12 - 23 October 2009
|Turkey, NATO
|Israel, Italy, USA were excluded/withdrew at the last minute
|-
|AE-09/4
|02 - 13 November 2009
|Turkey, Pakistan
|
|-
|AE-10/1
|19-30 April 2010
|National
|
|-
|AE-10/2
|07-18 June 2010
|Turkey, Italy, Jordan, NATO, Spain, UAE, USA
|
|-
|AE-10/3
|11 - 22 October 2010
|National
|-
|AE-11/1
|11-22 April 2011
|National
|
|-
|AE-11/2
|13-24 June 2011
|
|(planned)
|-
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
and held in Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. There are both national and international exercises held, the international exercises usually involving air arms of the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, other NATO forces and Asian countries.
History
With modernisation of infrastructure, weapons and training starting in the early 1980s, the Turkish Air Force (TAF)Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
realised the philosophy that "no matter how modern the weapons are, it is men that use them." When the TAF gained experience during internal security operations and the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo Wars, it was decided that the TAF had reached a performance level where it could host the air forces of other countries in exercises and provide training to them. The Anatolian Eagle exercises are stated to be similar to the USA's Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
. The TAF first sent observers to Red Flag in 1983 and participated for the first time in 1997 with six F-16s and 57 personnel. The first exercise, Anatolian Eagle 01, was held by TAF Operations Command on 18–29 June 2001. As well as Turkey, the air forces of USA and Israel also participated.
Description
Anatolian Eagle exercises simulate a war-time environment and the difficulty level increases from easy to hard. First the training exercise is planned in the 'White Headquarters' building. Training is monitored with computers to help test knowledge, abilities and find deficiencies of the participants. The scenarios consist of a "Blue Team" which attacks tactical and strategic targets in a "Red Land" during Combined Air Operations (COMAO). The Red Land is defended by opposing combat aircraft and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. Statistical studies are also completed in the White Headquarters.During the training exercise, the location, position and flight information of participating aircraft is transferred to a Command Control Centre (CCC) via an Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) system. Radar tracks and missile shots from SAM systems, AWACS aircraft, land-based radars and other anti-aircraft systems are also transferred to the CCC. Pre-flight briefings and post-flight de-briefings are carried out in the CCC where there is a briefing hall with capacity of 450 people. Sorties during the AE exercise are controlled and commanded at the MASE (Multi Aegis Site Emulator) Operation Center. Airspace for Anatolian Eagle is 200 nm from east to west and 150 nm from north to south. The main operations airspace, also known as the Salt Area, can be used from ground level up to 50,000 feet. During the exercise, AWACS aircraft give command and control support to Blue Forces and a land-based radar gives GCI support to the Red Forces. Air-to-air refuelling tankers refuel aircraft of both forces.
The Red Force personnel conduct their planning and briefings in the Red Building, while the national and foreign participants do the same in the Blue 1, Blue 2 and Blue 3 buildings. Red Force is restricted to their own Red Building, and nobody else can enter Red Building. Participants are housed in dormitories.
Politics
Despite their religious differences, Turkey and Israel have historically had good relations and Israel was a regular participant in Anatolian Eagle. However three days before AE-09/3 was due to start, Turkey postponed the international part of the exercise planned with Italy, Israel and the USA. Israeli officials were reported as saying that the decision was "sudden and unexpected" but that the Turks linked it to the involvement of the Israeli airforce in the invasion of Gaza earlier that year. In January 2009 the Turkish prime ministerRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
had criticised the Israeli President
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
over the invasion; the Turks denied that the cancellation had been political.
Chinese Flankers
Sukhoi Su-27
The Sukhoi Su-27 is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth generation fighters, with range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability...
used the Konya facilities to exercise with Turkish F-4E Phantoms between 20 Sept and 4 Oct 2010. Turkey does not appear to regard these exercises as part of the official Anatolian Eagle series, despite the media reporting them as such. US officials worried that the exercises would allow the Chinese access to Western technology and an understanding of NATO tactics.
List of Anatolian Eagle exercises
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Exercise! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Dates held
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Participating air arms
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Notes
|-valign="top"
|AE 01
| 18-29 June 2001
| Turkey, Israel, USA
|
|-
| AE 02/1
| 22 April - 3 May 2002
| Turkey, USA
|
|-
| AE 02/3
| 14-25 October 2002
| Turkey, UAE, USA
|
|-
| AE 03/3
| 03-14 November 2003
| Turkey, Israel, Germany, USA
|
|-
| AE 04/1
| 05-16 April 2004
| National
|
|-
| AE 04/2
| 7-18 June 2004
| Turkey, Israel, Jordan, USA
|
|-
| AE 04/3
| 27 September - 8 October 2004
| Turkey, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Pakistan, USA
|
|-
| AE 05/1
| 04-15 April 2005
| National
|
|-
| AE-05/3
| 12-23 September 2005
| Turkey, France, Italy, Netherlands.
|
|-
| AE-05/4
| 14-25 November 2005
| Turkey, Belgium, Israel, USA.
|
|-
| AE-06/1
| 24 April-05 May 2006
| National
|
|-
| AE-06/2
|12-22 June 2006
|Turkey, France, NATO, Pakistan, USA
|
|-
|AE-06/3
|04-15 September 2006
|Turkey, NATO
|
|-
|AE-06/4
|06-18 November 2006
|Turkey, NATO, USA
|
|-
|AE-07/2
|11 – 22 June 2007
|Turkey, Jordan, NATO, Pakistan, UK, USA
|6x Tornado GR4 of 14 Sqn RAF
No. 14 Squadron RAF
No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Beechcraft Shadow R1 in the ISTAR role from RAF Waddington.-World War I:...
|-
|AE-07/3
|03 – 14 September 2007
|National
|
|-
|AE-07/4
|05 – 16 November 2007
|National
|
|-
|AE-08/1
|05 - 16 May 2008
|National
|
|-
|AE-08/2
|09 – 20 June 2008
|Turkey, Jordan, NATO, UAE, USA
|
|-
|AE-08/3
|08 - 19 September 2008
|Turkey, Israel, Italy, USA
|
|-
|AE-08/4
|03 - 14 November 2008
|Turkey, Pakistan
|-
|AE-09/1
|27 April - 8 May 2009
|National
|
|-
|AE-09/2
|08 - 19 June 2009
|Turkey, Jordan, NATO, UAE, UK, USA
|First participation in AE by RAF Typhoons
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
.
|-
|AE-09/3
|12 - 23 October 2009
|Turkey, NATO
|Israel, Italy, USA were excluded/withdrew at the last minute
|-
|AE-09/4
|02 - 13 November 2009
|Turkey, Pakistan
|
|-
|AE-10/1
|19-30 April 2010
|National
|
|-
|AE-10/2
|07-18 June 2010
|Turkey, Italy, Jordan, NATO, Spain, UAE, USA
|
|-
|AE-10/3
|11 - 22 October 2010
|National
|-
|AE-11/1
|11-22 April 2011
|National
|
|-
|AE-11/2
|13-24 June 2011
|
|(planned)
|-