Turkish Army Aviation Command 1st Air Regiment moved to Isparta
In August 2020, the first Air Regiment (1nci Hava Alay) moved from Ankara/Güvercinlik to Isparta/Süleyman Demirel, 320 km to the south-west of Ankara.
This move marks a very significant event since Ankara/Güvercinlik is the first airfield to gain an ICAO code in Turkey (LTAB) and it housed the main army aviation units since 1958.
On 1 August 2018, the aircraft of the Turkish Army Aviation School moved to Isparta but now the Regimental role has also been moved out of Güvercinlik. Remaining behind are the Army Aviation Headquarters, the Hava Ulastirma Grup Komutanlığı (Air Transport Group Command) operating the Beech B200 and the 3ncu Bölük operating the CH-47D Chinook helicopters.
It seems that the other units have all moved to Isparta.
A short history of the Army Aviation Air Regiments:
In 1948 the Kara Ordusu Topçu Havaciliği or Army Artillery Aviation section was formed. A number of officers from artillery regiments were sent to the Türk Hava Kurumu (THK) or Turkish Aeronautical Association for flying training. The THK is a civilian organisation set up in 1925 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to promote interest in aviation and is still very much alive today.
Initially the Topçu Okulu Hava Grubu or Artillery School Air Group operated out of Polatli but in 1958 the Army Aviation Headquarters and Flying School were moved to Ankara’s former civil airfield of Ankara/Güvercinlik. One year after the move to Ankara/Güvercinlik, the Flying School was renamed to Kara Havacilik Okulu (Army Flying School).
Eventually, the aviation component became increasingly important and from 2003, the Turkish Army Aviation Command went through a drastic reorganisation. In that process it gained the status of an independent command reporting directly to the Army headquarters.
Four Air Regiments (Hava Alay) were created at Ankara Güvercinlik, Malatya/Tulga, Izmir/Gaziemir and Istanbul/Samandira. Besides these four regiments, the Army Aviation Command utilizes a number of subordinate units that operate out of satellite locations to perform their duties.
Detailed information on the Turkish Army Aviation Command Air Order of Battle can be found here. If you have new information, please use the updates form at the bottom of the OrBat page.
Photos: Marco Dijkshoorn