Airforces

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #359 FEBRUARY 2018 // 81

urkey initiated its AEW&C aircraft project

for its air force – the Türk Hava Kuvvetleri

(THK) – in order to help cement its status

as a regional power. Such a platform would

allow early identification of possible border

violations – by fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters

and missiles – and prevent potential incursions

or attacks if ground radars were rendered

ineffective. As well as serving with the THK,

the aircraft was expected to play an active

role in operations led by the army and navy.

The Boeing 737 AEW&C was selected in early

December 2000 and contract negotiations

continued throughout 2001. Boeing and

Turkey’s Savunma Sanayii Müste ̨sarlı ̆gı (SSM,

Undersecretariat for Defence Industries)

eventually signed a contract for the AEW&C

programme – also known as Peace Eagle –

in June 2002 and this was approved by US

Congress the following year. The deal covered

procurement of four aircraft plus two options.

Ankara paid $637m in advance for the project,

which was valued at a total of $1.5bn.

Hybrid airframe

The selected aircraft – known locally as the E-7T

• is based on Boeing’s 737-700 civilian airliner
  and is similar to the AEW&C solution selected
  by both Australia and South Korea. While the
  reinforced fuselage is taken from the 737-700
  BBJ (Boeing Business Jet), the strengthened
  wing, tail surfaces and undercarriage are
  from the 737-800. The CFM56-7 engines are
  the same as those used on the 737-900 and
  were selected due to their additional power –
  27,300lb thrust for take-off. Contrary to the
  civilian 737-700, the E-7T has an aerial refuelling
  capability and can dump fuel if required.
  In terms of avionics, the aircraft employs
  the Northrop Grumman Multi-Role
  Electronically Scanned Array (MESA)
  surveillance radar, which also provides an
  identification friend or foe (IFF) capability.
  The Peace Eagle contract also included
  ground support facilities, crew training,
  mission support and system maintenance
  and software support provided by Boeing.
  Following the completion of all the laboratory,
  ground and flight tests for the first aircraft,
  the airframe would undergo modifications to
  install the AEW&C software and hardware.

All these procedures were to be carried out

at Boeing’s facilities in Seattle, Washington.

However, all the structural and radar

modification procedures for the remaining

three aircraft would be carried out at Turkish

Aerospace Industries (TAI) facilities in Ankara.

An agreement signed between TAI and Boeing

on January 28, 2004 brought many Turkish

firms into the project. As well as TAI, the

Turkish companies included Aselsan, Havelsan,

MİKES, Turkish Airlines and Selex ES Türkiye.

Aselsan was responsible for producing GPS

equipment and UHF/VHF radios. Havelsan

carried out specific software integration and

modification and tested the aircraft and ground

support systems on behalf of the THK. MİKES

undertook software and hardware development

and produced the electronic support measures

(ESM) sub-system. Turkish Airlines was

assigned the tasks of training the aircrews and

performing aircraft maintenance. Pilot training

was planned to make use of a simulator within

Turkish Airlines facilities at İstanbul Atatürk

Airport. Finally, Selex was responsible for

development and production of HF radios.

The first aircraft (06-001, later 13-001/N356BJ)

was rolled out at Boeing’s Renton facility in

Washington on November 11, 2004. Originally,

it was planned for delivery to the THK in 2007.

The other three aircraft were to be taken from

the 737-700 BBJ production line in Seattle and

delivered to TAI’s facilities in Ankara for fitting

A pair of Peace Eagles, E-7T serials 13-003 and

13-004, on the flight line at Konya air base in

central Anatolia. The aerodynamic effects of the

huge fairing for the MESA radar are compensated

for by two large strakes under the rear fuselage.

Above: Operating unit for the Turkish Peace Eagle

force is 131 Filo, also known as the 131’inci

Havadan İhbar Kontrol (HİK) Grup Komutanlı ̆gı

(131st Airborne Warning and Control Group

Command). The squadron serves alongside the

NATO E-3A AWACS detachment at Konya. All photos

Onur Kurç and Tayfun Ya ̨sar unless otherwise stated

T

Turkey’s eye

in the sky