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PART TWO

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Serving inthe shadowsThe Jandarma Havacılık Komutanliği (Gendarmerie Aviation Command) is one of Turkey’s most elusive air arms. Marco Dijkshoorn assesses its assets, capabilities and recent developments.

Above: The S-70A Black Hawk is the mainstay of the Jandarma Özel Harekat (Gendarmerie Special Operation Forces). The sensor suite – including a forward-looking infrared – is optimised for night operations, with a colour scheme to match. All photos Marco Dijkshoorn Right: Jandarma units often operate alongside their army counterparts. During the recent missions in Afrin, Syria, army helicopters provided close air support to Jandarma helicopters participating in the campaign. Here, Army Aviation Command AB205s are visible in the background.

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Turkish Gendarmerie

he Jandarma Havacılık Komutanlığı answers to the Jandarma Genel Komutanliği (Gendarmerie General

Command), Turkey’s militarised internal security force. Operating mostly in rural areas in a paramilitary role, its assets are scattered widely around the country and rarely seen.Its different helicopter types are operated

from locations ranging from a single helipad adjacent to a regional Jandarma building to dedicated air bases including Aydin-Çildir in southwestern Turkey.The organisation’s headquarters are currently

located at Ankara-Güvercinlik where it operates alongside the Türk Kara Havacılık Komutanlığı (Turkish Army Aviation Command).

A brief historyAlthough the Turkish Gendarmerie has existed since Ottoman times, the air arm’s history began in 1968 when its first Gendarmerie aviation unit, the Hafif Helikopter Bölük Komutanlığı (Light Helicopter Division Command), formed at Diyarbakır. It was soon followed by a similar unit at Ankara-Güvercinlik.The units originally operated 12 Agusta-

Bell AB206A rotorcraft. Of two AB204B versions delivered in 1970, one survives in the Jandarma museum at the Ankara-Beytepe army barracks. During 1974, the helicopter force was augmented by another two AB206As, shortly followed by four more AB206Bs.Gendarmerie aviation saw considerable

action during Operation Attila, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, in July 1974. The Jandarma Özel Harekât (JÖH, Gendarmerie Special Forces), supplemented by the Diyarbakır and Ankara-Güvercinlik-based units,

supported troops of the Nevsehir and Batman Gendarmerie elite commando battalions.In March 1975, six AB47G-3B-1 light

helicopters were delivered, but they were soon transferred to the Army Aviation Command. A sole AB212 delivered in 1988 for VIP transport use crashed on an unknown date.The aviation units at Diyarbakır and

Güvercinlik were redesignated as Jandarma Hava Grup Komutanlığı (Gendarmerie Aviation Group Command) during March 1978. Additionally, a third unit – the Helikopter Filo (Helicopter Squadron) – was formed at Van International Airport.

Narcotics monitorsShortly after the establishment of the Gendarmerie Aviation Group Command, the United Nations donated a handful of fixed-wing aircraft to closely monitor — and, where needed, counter — narcotics trading and production flourishing in eastern Turkey.In 1969, two U-10A (Helio H-295 Super Courier)

short take-off and landing (STOL) utility aircraft, a Rockwell 690A Aero Commander and a Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six were provided to the newly formed Narkotik Filo (Narcotics Squadron). Equipment included four special cameras and two mobile development units for forensic reporting.The Narkotik Filo took on a Reims-Cessna

F182P Skylane in 1977 before disbanding in the late 1990s, its aircraft being withdrawn. The Rockwell Commander ended up as a VIP transport and liaison aircraft before being decommissioned in 2001. Meanwhile, sometime in the late 1970s, the Gendarmerie Aviation Group Command switched to its current name: Gendarmerie Aviation Command.

Paramilitary responsibilitiesBesides combating terrorism, the Gendarmerie Aviation Command units execute round-the-clock air transportation, command and control, reconnaissance and surveillance and security and public order services. Missions also include aerial supply, medical evacuation, natural disaster relief, humanitarian aid and search and rescue missions throughout the country.The command’s paramilitary character is

reflected in the appearance of its helicopters, some of which don’t sport typical military-

Gendarmerie Aviation Command – former typesType Qty First

deliveryRemarks

AB206A 12 March 1968

U-10A 2 1969 ex-Narkotik Filo (only one ever seen in service)

PA-32-260 Cherokee Six

1 1969 ex-Narkotik Filo

AC690A Aero Commander

1 1969 ex-UN, Narkotik Filo; refurbished in 1990s and deployed as staff transport

AB204B 2 July 1970

AB206A 2 April 1974

AB206B 4 1974

AB47G-3B-1 6 March 1975

F182P Skylane

1 1977 ex-UN, Narkotik Filo

AB212 1 1988

Serving inthe shadows

T

Above: Approximately 13 of the 24 Bell 205 helicopters delivered remain operational, some wearing a quasi-civilian colour scheme. Despite appearances, this ‘Huey’, and all other Jandarma helicopters, are used mainly for military missions.

A line-up at Ankara-Güvercinlik of three of the helicopter types used by the Jandarma: the Mi-17-1V ‘Hip-H’ (the white, blue and red example is used as a VIP transport), the Agusta-Bell AB205 ‘Huey’ and the S-70A Black Hawk. Although unconfi rmed, it seems likely that the Gendarmerie unit at Güvercinlik will move to Aydin-Çildir or Isparta/Süleyman Demirel in future.

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style camouflage. Several AB205s and one or two Mi-17-1Vs are painted in a civilian-style red, blue and white scheme.The Gendarmerie is responsible for law

enforcement and security outside the municipalities. Its area of operations represents around 80% of the country and covers some 25% of Turkey’s total population. This requires a huge force: currently around 100,000 general troops, 60,000 special forces and other specialised personnel and some 80,000 village guards.The Gendarmerie General Command

consists of around 14 regional commands, 81 provincial commands and 920 district commands, dispersed across the country.The main focus of its military-style

operations lies in the east of the country, where the borders with Syria and Turkey are guarded by a combination of Gendarmerie and army units. These frontier zones are littered with small auxiliary airfields and commando camps with helipads, facilitating operations in this mountainous and inhospitable terrain.

Order of battle: Jandarma Havacılık Komutanliği – Gendarmerie Aviation CommandAnkara GüvercinlikJandarma Hava Grup Komutanlığı AnkaraJandarma Havacılık Okul Komutanlığı

AB205, S-70A

Karargah Kıtaatı Mi-17-1V (VIP), Cessna 680

1nci Filo S-70A

2nci Filo Mi-17-1V

DiyarbakırJandarma Hava Grup Komutanlığı Diyarbakır7nci Kolordu Jandarma Hava Grup Komutanlığı Diyarbakır

1nci Filo ‘Anka’ (Phoenix) Mi-17-1V

2nci Filo ‘Tuğrul’ (Turul) AB205A, S-70A

VanJandarma Helikopter Filo Komutanlığı Van ‘Canavarlari’ (Monsters)

AB205, S-70A, Mi-17-1V

Aydin-ÇildirJandarma Helikopter Filo Komutanlığı Aydin

S-70A

Malatya-TulgaIKU Beech 350

Taarruz Helikopter Filo ‘Avci’ (Hunter) T129B

ElazığIHA Filo Bayraktar TB2/

TB2S UCAV

B L A C K S E A

Mediterranean Sea

Cyprus

Istanbul

Ankara-Güvercinlik

Bulgaria

Greece

Turkey

Syria

Elazığ

Malatya-Tulga

Diyarbakır

Aydin-Çildir

Iraq

Iran

Georgia

Armenia

Van

Special forcesThe Jandarma Özel Harekât (JÖH, Gendarmerie Special Forces) rely heavily on the capabilities provided by Gendarmerie Aviation Command units, and S-70A Black Hawks are the mainstays for troop insertion, combat search and rescue and air assault. All sport a dark olive drab colour scheme suitable for night-time operations.

Since the mid-1980s, Gendarmerie Special Forces units have played a major role in suppressing terrorist cells such as those of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), so it’s no surprise that they had their headquarters in the eastern province of Van, with major training facilities in the Şırnak and Hakkari provinces. After the coup, however, JÖH headquarters were transferred to Ankara.

Above: Jandarma Özel Harekat S-70As are equipped for special operations. They include the HEWS electronic warfare self-protection suite and chaff/fl are dispensers mounted on the tail boom.

Above: Maintenance personnel of the Hava Bakim Komutanlığı (Aircraft Maintenance Command) prepare a Mi-17-1V for a training fl ight. Eighteen of the 20 examples delivered have been upgraded and are likely to serve for the foreseeable future. Below: The venerable Agusta-Bell AB205 is still heavily utilised in Jandarma service. It is the main training platform and is also used for liaison, troop transport and VIP transport duties.

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Turkish Gendarmerie

Current typesAgusta-Bell AB205Of 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 TB2In 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 AirBeginning 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 SovereignLast 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-17-1VThe 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 was

followed 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 HawkThe 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 restructuringBefore 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 Staff

were 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 trainingIn 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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