Turkish Air Force - Looking for Information (F-16)

[Qiou87]

Hi,

 

I am currently writing a SP campaign based on the F-16 module and Syria map. I was fascinated with the rich history of the F-16 fleet of the Turkish Air Force, the many theaters in which they have been involved in the past 20 years, so I thought I would take inspiration from some of these real-life events. My aim is not politics, therefore this will be a ficticious setting, but of course past and current events can influence some missions during the campaign.

 

I would like the help of the community to find sources and information about the Turkish Air Force and especially their F-16 squadrons. I could find information about the technical stuff, how they train etc. but I am interested in the details that make a story feel real.

 

Examples of details I am looking for:

- Nicknames: do the TAF pilots also use nicknames and if so, are they in English? Turkish? What would be typical nicknames of fighter pilots in Turkey?

- Callsigns: do they use the name of their squadron as a radio callsign, for example "Raiders 3-1"?

- In France squadrons have a home-base but can operate from other airfields of the air force, for example if the mission dictates it (like air "police") or for large-scale exercises. Is it the same in Turkey? I am going to have to use Incirlik for the story, which is the home of KC-135s in real life but no permanent jet squadron, so I am looking for a good reason/explanation why F-16s would be there.

 

I know Turkey is part of NATO, its F-16 pilots train in the USA, so a lot of what I know from US or NATO pilots applies as well. But any country has its own culture, especially the military. I want to give the impression that the player is really a turkish pilot, not just a US pilot with a Turkish skin on his jet.

 

I tried to find a book written by a former fighter pilot from Turkey that would tell a little bit about what it is like, unfortunately I wasn't successful. I do not speak Turkish (only French/English/German), therefore I am probably not finding the right books in my research.

 

If you have any non-classified information, please post here or contact me in MP. I am also looking for volunteers for voice-overs, especially if you are from Turkey. The campaign will be in English, but a true Turkish accent would add a lot to the realism of the coms as well, and I'd like to avoid AI-simulated voices as much as I can.

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Qiou87