132nd Squadron "Daggers" is a fighter squadron of the

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

specialized in the development of courses for the efficient use of

weapons A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

and

tactics Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics In chess, a tac ...

. It also serves aggressor duties mainly during

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

exercises. The squadron also consists of

SoloTürk SOLOTÜRK or often sytlized as SoloTürk, is a single-aircraft Aerobatics, aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force's 132nd Squadron (Turkey), 132nd Squadron based at the Konya Airport, Konya Air Base. Plans for the team began in No ...

, the air force's

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

demonstration team. On the contrary to the

Turkish Stars The Turkish Stars () are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey. The Turkish Stars is the seventh and final aerobatic team established under the Turkish Air Force. The team was formed ...

, this squadron is only differentiated by its

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

. Aside that, SoloTürk aircraft are capable of regular fighter duties and carried out many operations throughout the years.

History

The squadron was first established in 1966 at

Çiğli Air Base Çiğli Air Base () is a military airport near Çiğli, a metropolitan district of the city of İzmir in İzmir Province, Turkey. It served as İzmir's airport until the opening of the Adnan Menderes Airport, situated south of the metropolitan ...

, where the Air Training Command is located, as a regular training squadron and it had no little to no role in combat. The squadron then received

F-4 Phantoms The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by ...

in 1987 to carry out lead-in fighter training duties. Following the quick acquisition of F-4 Phantoms with minimal training and preparedness, because of the Cyprus Crisis, the air force failed in getting accustomed to the use and maintenance of F-4 Phantoms, and it resulted in the crash of over 15 aircraft until 1980. In 1989, as the Turkish Air Force suffered aircraft shortage after constant crashes, the squadron was temporarily shut down and its aircraft were allocated to combatant units. Following its reintroduction in 1992, the squadron was moved to

Konya Air Base Konya Airport () is a military air base and public airport in Konya, Turkey. The airport is also used by NATO. Opened to the public in 2000, the airport is 18 km from the city. In 2006, Konya Airport served 2,924 aircraft and 262,561 passen ...

, operating

Northrop F-5 The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models: the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants, and th ...

s until 2007. While it was still a training squadron, its roles were eventually enlarged into the concept of "weapon and tactics", a combination of aggressor, test and tactics development tasks. The squadron started using

F-16 Fighting Falcons The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

from 2007, as the Turkish Air Force gradually started retiring the existing Northrop F-5s in service, except for the

. In 2016, after the coup attempt, SoloTürk was moved to the

and restructured under the 132nd Squadron, as its parent unit, the 141st Squadron, was dissolved. Two_Turkish_Air_Force_F-16_Fighting_Falcons

By 2017, the squadron is tasked with providing aerial protection to the

president of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...

, and since then, two F-16s escort the flight. One year later, 12 F-16s of the squadron were deployed for the

Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield () was an offensive by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out in the region between the Euphrates river to th ...

, providing air support to military operation by bombarding many

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

and

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

positions. Reports suggest that the

tactical bombing Tactical bombing is aerial bombing aimed at targets of immediate military value, such as combatants, military installations, or military equipment. This is in contrast to strategic bombing, or attacking enemy cities and factories to cripple ...

by the squadron killed 11, and injured 16.{{Cite web , date=2018-01-21 , title=Afrin harekatında ikinci gün: 11 ölü, 16 yaralı , url=https://artigercek.com/guncel/afrin-harekatinda-ikinci-gun-turkiye-karadan-da-girdi-44898h , access-date=2024-12-04 , website=Artı Gerçek , language=tr

Lineage

Stations

, 1966 – 1990 *

, 1992 – present

Aircraft

Cessna T-37 Tweet The Cessna T-37 Tweet (designated Model 318 by Cessna) is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer aircraft. It was flown for decades as a primary trainer of the United States Air Force (USAF) as well as in the air forces of several other nati ...

, 1966 – 1969 *

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak is an American swept-wing turbojet-powered fighter-bomber. The RF-84F Thunderflash is variant of the F-84F that was designed for photo reconnaissance. The design was originally intended to be a relatively simp ...

, 1970 – 1974 *

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United ...

, 1975 – 1986 *

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

, 1987 – 1990 *

, 1992 – 2006 *

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

, 2007 – present

References

Turkish Air Force Turkish Air Force squadrons Military units and formations established in 1966 1966 establishments in Turkey