Current types
Agusta-Bell AB205
Of 24 AB205s delivered between November 1974 and
February 1982, some 13 are still serviceable, according
to Turkish sources. The others had HeliMod I and
HeliMod II updates, and are similar to those operated
by the Army Aviation Command.
The HeliMod programmes consist of avionic and
communication systems upgrades and more powerful
engines. Under HeliMod II, the ‘Hueys’ received EADS/
Aselsan MILDS (missile launch detection sensors) and
Aselsan Özışık countermeasure dispensing system/
chaff and flare decoys. Aselsan carried out the
modernisations.
TAI/AgustaWestland T129B ATAK
In February, the Gendarmerie Aviation Command
received its first T129B ATAK all-weather attack
helicopter. The Jandarma ordered 18 last year,
reflecting the command’s shift from defensive to
offensive operations. TAI delivered nine T129Bs
to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2017, bringing the
total inventory to 27. Later this year the police are
expected to receive the first of six more that were
ordered. Another aviation command, the Emniyet Genel
Müdürlüğü (General Directorate of Security), which also
reports to the MoI, has ordered T129Bs as well.
Bayraktar TB2
In March last year, the Ministry of National Defence
announced that the first Bayraktar TB2 unmanned
combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) system had been
delivered to the Gendarmerie General Command.
It consists of two ground control stations, three
ground data terminals, two remote video terminals,
ground support equipment and six Bayraktar TB2
vehicles – operated from Elazığ in central Turkey.
Two of the drones are in an armed configuration
(designated TB2S). The other four are used solely for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR;
designated TB2). The system was developed and
manufactured by Baykar Makina.
Beech/Raytheon 350 Super King Air
Beginning in late 2016, the Gendarmerie initially leased
but eventually purchased several ISR-equipped Beech
350s. Five were added to the Manned Reconnaissance
Flight, two of which were cancelled from the FAA
register as ‘exported to Turkey’ on August 29 last year
and three on September 28.
They are operated from Malatya-Tulga alongside
similar Turkish Army equipment and, fitted with an
ISR payload, provide real-time imagery to Jandarma
special operations forces on the ground.
Their location reflects the fact that most special
forces operations requiring real-time battlefield
awareness and intelligence are conducted in the east
of Turkey along the borders with Syria and Iraq.Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign
Last August, the Jandarma received a former ATP
Havacılık Ticaret Cessna 680. During its civilian
life, it was registered TC-ATP and delivered to ATP
via London Luton Airport in October 2008. Its exact
purpose is not clear, but since the Gendarmerie has
no VIP/liaison aircraft left in its inventory, this is the
likely role. It has a non-standard registration (J-001),
indicating a VIP role, and is probably operated from
Ankara-Güvercinlik.Mi-17-1V
The Turkish and Russian governments signed a
controversial deal in November 1992, under which
Russia supplied military hardware to a NATO country.
Covering $75m-worth of military equipment –
including Mi-17-1A Hip-H helicopters, BTR-60
armoured personnel carriers and light weapons and
equipment for the Gendarmerie – the agreement was
cash-free: $60m of the payment wrote off Russian
debts to Turkey’s Eximbank.
The first Mi-17-1Vs arrived in November 1995, being
flown from Kazan to Güvercinlik, and officially entered
service on the 25th of the month. Initially 19 were
ordered, but one crashed in October 2003 and wasfollowed by an attrition replacement. Fourteen Hips
were delivered in a standard utility configuration, two
as air ambulances and one as a VIP/liaison platform.
The other three are equipped for air assault tasks and
can carry rocket pods.
From 2004 onwards, 18 Mi-17-1Vs were modernised
by Oboronprom (at the SPARC Avia Aviation Company
in St Petersburg/Pulkovo). The refurbishment deal
attracted allegations of corruption and bankruptcy,
but the first upgraded helicopters nevertheless
eventually returned to service from March 2009.
In February, Kürşad Atılgan, chairman of the Türk
Hava Kurumu (THK, Turkish Aeronautical Association)
announced that it had received a contract to take over
maintenance of the Hips in a deal worth more than
$50m. The THK will take on the work from the 5th Ana
Bakim Merkezi Komutanlığı (5th Main Maintenance
Centre Command) at Ankara-Güvercinlik. The contract
covers the maintenance of 17 aircraft, suggesting that
this is the current inventory.Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk
The police and the Gendarmerie were the first
operators of the Black Hawk in Turkey. The first order
for six S-70A-17s came as two batches of three each
in December 1988 and January 1989.
In the mid-1990s, the Gendarmerie received 30
S-70A-28 ‘analogue’ Black Hawks. Under the HeliMod
programme, a number were upgraded and fitted with
the Aselsan Helicopter Electronic Warfare System
(HEWS), a fully integrated, indigenously developed
self-protection suite.
According to Turkish sources, around 26 Black
Hawks are still operational, all of which underwent the
HeliMod update by Aselsan and have digital cockpits.
Under the Turkish Utility Helicopter Program (TUHP),
the Gendarmerie will have an additional 30 Black
Hawks in utility, (combat) search and rescue and
armed reconnaissance/air assault configurations.
Ordered in February 2014, they are in production at
the PZL Mielec plant in Poland.Post-coup restructuring
Before the coup attempt of July 15, 2016,
the Gendarmerie General Command
reported to the Turkish General Staff for
matters related to military law, while being
subordinate to the Türk Cumhuriyet İçişleri
Bakanlığı (Ministry of Interior, MoI) for the
security and public order services it provided.
Some Gendarmerie forces played a role
in supporting the coup plotters, but the
ranks were divided. Most senior officers,
including many generals, chose not to join
the coup and took the initiative to counter it.
Despite this, the part played by some
elements of the Gendarmerie led afterwards
to swift changes in the reporting lines to
Ankara, and some of the security forces
that previously reported to the General Staffwere put firmly under MoI control. As a
consequence, the Coast Guard Command,
the General Directorate of Security (under
which the police force operates) and the
Gendarmerie General Command now all
come under the command of the MoI,
which reports directly to the president.Self-sufficient training
In 2013, the Gendarmerie restructured its
Aviation Training Command and contracted
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to
conduct initial and basic training for new
pilots. Previously, this had been the sole
responsibility of the Army Aviation School
Command at Ankara-Güvercinlik.
To increase the Gendarmerie Command’s
self-sufficiency in training pilots and
technicians alike, the Jandarma Havacılık Okul
Komutanlığı (Gendarmerie Aviation School
Command) formed at Ankara-Güvercinlik on
August 5, 2013. Later that year the first class
began initial training at the TAI Flight School.
After completing their advanced
training phase at the Gendarmerie
Aviation School, the students received
their wings on September 26, 2014. As
the arrangements stand, pilots are
trained both by the army and by TAI.Above: The 5th Ana Bakim Merkezi Komutanlığı located at Ankara-Güvercinlik traditionally performed
depot-level maintenance on the Mi-17 fleet. However, under a $50m contract, maintenance of the
remaining 17 ‘Hips’ will be transferred to the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) and carried out at
Isparta/Süleyman Demirel. AFM
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