Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station
Encyclopedia
Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station , aka Topel Airport or formerly Cengiz Topel Air Base, is a Turkish Navy
air station
located east of İzmit
in Kocaeli Province
, Turkey
. The airport is in joint use for military and civil. Restructured in 1976, it hosts the Turkish Naval Aviation Command with two flying units, the 301st Squadron of fixed-wing aircraft
and the 351st Squadron of rotorcraft
s.
The facility, formerly a base of the Turkish Air Force
, is named after the Air Force fighter pilot
Capt. Cengiz Topel
, whose F-100 Super Sabre
was shot down on August 8, 1964 during Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus. He ejected safely over land, but was promptly captured after landing and lynched by members of the Cyprus National Guard. He was the first Turkish pilot ever killed in action
.
Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station is situated 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Köseköy neighborhood in İzmit and 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Lake Sapanca
between the highway and the motorway .
, Ankara Province
. The unit, formed in 1972 at the same base, was transferred on May 19, 1973 from Ankara to Cengiz Topel Air Base due to its location close to Gölcük Naval Base
in Kocaeli Province following a protocol signed with the Turkish Air Force two weeks before. That day, Turkish Navy's first rotorcraft unit was renamed 351st Naval Helicopter Squadron.
The 301st Naval Air Squadron, formed in 1971 at Etimesgut Air Base
in Ankara Province as the fixed wing aviation unit of the Navy, was transferred on August 4, 1972 to Bandırma Air Base to join the 6th Air Force Wing. With its four maritime patrol aircraft and twelve anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) aircraft of type S-2 Tracker
, the unit was then relocated to Cengiz Topel Air Base on July 14, 1976.
The base, in joint use since 1973 by the air force and the navy, was transferred to the Turkish Navy Command on July 14, 1976 following the order of the Turkish General Staff. Finally, the Naval Air Station Command was established on August 4, 1976.
The base was assigned to NATO on October 28, 1981. In 1983, helipeds in Istanbul
and Çanakkale
were put in service so tha helicopters of the air station could use them also.
for surface warfare, submarine warfare, maritime patrol and surveillance.
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
air station
Air station
Air station may refer to:* AirStation is the name given to a series of wireless LAN equipment sold by Buffalo Technology* Airbase* Naval air station* A station to refill an air car....
located east of İzmit
Izmit
İzmit is a city in Turkey, administrative center of Kocaeli Province as well as the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. The city center has a population of 294.875...
in Kocaeli Province
Kocaeli Province
Kocaeli Province is a province of Turkey. Its capital is İzmit, which is sometimes referred to as Kocaeli itself. The largest town in the province is now Gebze. The traffic code is 41. The province is located at the easternmost end of the Marmara Sea, especially on the Gulf of İzmit. Because of...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The airport is in joint use for military and civil. Restructured in 1976, it hosts the Turkish Naval Aviation Command with two flying units, the 301st Squadron of fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
and the 351st Squadron of rotorcraft
Rotorcraft
A rotorcraft or rotary wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine that uses lift generated by wings, called rotor blades, that revolve around a mast. Several rotor blades mounted to a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The International Civil Aviation Organization defines a rotorcraft...
s.
The facility, formerly a base of the Turkish Air Force
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
, is named after the Air Force fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
Capt. Cengiz Topel
Cengiz Topel
Cengiz Topel was a fighter pilot of the Turkish Air Force, who was shot down during the Battle of Tylliria.-Career:...
, whose F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
was shot down on August 8, 1964 during Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus. He ejected safely over land, but was promptly captured after landing and lynched by members of the Cyprus National Guard. He was the first Turkish pilot ever killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
.
Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station is situated 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Köseköy neighborhood in İzmit and 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Lake Sapanca
Lake Sapanca
Lake Sapanca is a fresh water lake in Turkey, between the Gulf of İzmit and the Adapazarı Meadow. The lake has a catchment area of 251 km², surface area is 45 km², a length 16 km east-west / 5 km north-south, and a maximum depth of 52 m.Lake Sapanca, Turkey...
between the highway and the motorway .
History
Topel Airport was originally a Turkish Air Force facility. Following the re-establishment of the aviation branch of the Turkish Navy in 1968, the first naval helicopter pilots were trained by the Turkish Army Aviation Command's flight school at the Güvercinlik Army Air Base in EtimesgutEtimesgut
Etimesgut or Etimesut, formerly Ahimesut, is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, mainly consisting of large public housing projects, from Ankara city centre. According to 2010 census, population of Etimesgut is 386,879...
, Ankara Province
Ankara Province
Ankara Province in central Turkey is the location of the country's capital, the city of Ankara.Ankara also gave its name to the Ottoman Empire's Ankara Province which covered a larger area than the current province.- Geography :...
. The unit, formed in 1972 at the same base, was transferred on May 19, 1973 from Ankara to Cengiz Topel Air Base due to its location close to Gölcük Naval Base
Gölcük Naval Base
Gölcük Naval Base is the main base of the Turkish Navy on the east coast of the Sea of Marmara in Gölcük, Kocaeli. It is the principal base for logistic support with various facilities stretched over of land....
in Kocaeli Province following a protocol signed with the Turkish Air Force two weeks before. That day, Turkish Navy's first rotorcraft unit was renamed 351st Naval Helicopter Squadron.
The 301st Naval Air Squadron, formed in 1971 at Etimesgut Air Base
Etimesgut Air Base
Etimesgut Air Base is an airbase of the Turkish Air Force located west of Ankara, Turkey. It is owned by Turkish Air Force and jointly operated by the air force and the Turkish Aeronautical Association . International Defense Industry, Aerospace and Maritime Fair and civil aviation airshows...
in Ankara Province as the fixed wing aviation unit of the Navy, was transferred on August 4, 1972 to Bandırma Air Base to join the 6th Air Force Wing. With its four maritime patrol aircraft and twelve anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
(ASW) aircraft of type S-2 Tracker
S-2 Tracker
The Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare aircraft to enter service with the US Navy. The Tracker was of conventional design with twin engines, a high wing and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world...
, the unit was then relocated to Cengiz Topel Air Base on July 14, 1976.
The base, in joint use since 1973 by the air force and the navy, was transferred to the Turkish Navy Command on July 14, 1976 following the order of the Turkish General Staff. Finally, the Naval Air Station Command was established on August 4, 1976.
The base was assigned to NATO on October 28, 1981. In 1983, helipeds in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and Çanakkale
Çanakkale
Çanakkale is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 . The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan ....
were put in service so tha helicopters of the air station could use them also.
Units
The Naval Aviation Command consists of four subcommands:- 301st Naval Air Squadron "Yengeç" (Crab) Command
- 9 CASA CN-235 ASW/ASuW MPACASA CN-235The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...
aircraft with AMASCOS (Airborne Maritime Situation & Control System) for surface warfareSurface warfareModern naval warfare is divided into three operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare and submarine warfare. Each area comprises specialized platforms and strategies used to exploit tactical advantages unique and inherent to that area....
, submarine warfareSubmarine warfareNaval warfare is divided into three operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare and underwater warfare. The latter may be subdivided into submarine warfare and anti-submarine warfare as well as mine warfare and mine countermeasures...
, maritime patrolMaritime patrolMaritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities....
and surveillanceSurveillanceSurveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, - 6 Socata TB20 for flight training, also for personnel and material transport.
- 9 CASA CN-235 ASW/ASuW MPA
- 351st Naval Helicopter Squadron "Yunusbalığı" (Dolphin) Command
- 7 Sikorsky S-70B-28 Seahawk (17 more on order) equipped with AGM-114M Hellfire antiship missiles, HELRAS active dipping sonar, AN/APS-143V Ocean Eye maritime surveillance radar
- 3 Agusta-Bell AB 204AS
- 9 Agusta-Bell AB 212ASW anti-submarineAnti-submarine warfareAnti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
and anti-surfaceAnti-Surface WarfareAnti-surface warfare is a type of naval warfare directed against surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's surface ships....
warfare version - 3 Agusta-Bell AB 212EW electronic warfareElectronic warfareElectronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
version
for surface warfare, submarine warfare, maritime patrol and surveillance.
- Standards and Training Squadron Command
- Support and Maintenance Command