Turkish Army AH-1W Super Cobra Helicopters Transferred to Naval Air Command
With a ceremony held at Gölcük Naval Base on February 21, 2022, the first 4 of the 10 AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters in the inventory of the Army Aviation Command were delivered to the Naval Air Command and the helicopters then flew to Topel Naval Station.
Subsequently, the 5th helicopter was photographed on March 9 and the 6th helicopter on March 15, 2022, over the Gulf of Izmit while flying to the Naval Air Station. The helicopters, which have turned exhaust nozzles (turned exhaust nozzles have better IR signature suppression than the old type exhausts. They also redirect the hot exhaust plume off the tail boom structure to reduce hot spots and improve the structural integrity of the tail boom), were still in Army Aviation Command colors (3 tone camouflage), and ‘Land Forces Command’ was written on their tail boom. On March 28, footage of the AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopter (tail number TCB-81) in the Turkish Navy color (gray tone) was shared on social media. Later in early April, the tail numbers of 10 AH-1W Super Cobra Helicopters, whose deliveries were completed, were shared on the official website of the Turkish Naval Forces Command (TCB-80, TCB-81, TCB-82, TCB-83, TCB-84, TCB-85, TCB-86, TCB-87, TCB-88, and TCB-89).
The Naval Air Command's 351st Naval Helicopter Squadron operates at Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station, and the 352nd Naval Helicopter Squadron operates at the Dalaman Naval Air Station. Currently, it is not clear whether the AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters, which are expected to be deployed at Dalaman Naval Air Station, will serve under a new Squadron or within the 352nd Naval Helicopter Squadron (there are reports that a new Squadron Insignia has been designed). Although the aircraft deployed at Dalaman Naval Air Station are exposed to extreme corrosion due to close proximity to the sea and sea breeze, there is ongoing work to expand the base and increase its capacity as it is close to Aksaz Naval Base.
Speaking on the 2nd day of the 10th Naval Systems Seminar, Naval Air Commander Rear Admiral (LH) Alper YENİEL announced that 10 AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters in the inventory of the Army Aviation Command would be transferred to the Naval Aviation Group Command, which was actually quite a surprise development for me. Because during our visit to the Naval Air Command on April 22, 2021, he stated that they decided to procure new production T129 ATAK Helicopters to meet their attack helicopter needs and said: "Within this framework, to include the T129 ATAK Helicopters that were developed through indigenous and national resources and are regarded as the best in its class in the world to our organization, 4 helicopter pilots have been sent to the 'ATAK Helicopter Pilot Orientation Course' executed at the Land Forces Command." In fact, in our conversation, I stated that T129 helicopters are not navalized and asked whether this would cause problems. Rear Admiral (LH) YENİEL emphasized that the T129s to be produced for the Naval Air Command would be specifically designed for naval use (marinization, modified to operate in a marine environment with long-term survival in harsh, highly corrosive saltwater conditions). Initially, the first 2 of 8 T129B ATAK Helicopters to be deployed at Dalaman Naval Air Station were expected to be delivered in 2022 (to be close to TCG Anadolu LHD, which will be stationed in Aksaz). Accordingly, 4 ATAKs would serve on land in Aksaz, and 4 ATAKs would operate on LHD Anatolia. It was planned that the number of ATAK Helicopters would reach 16 by 2026 (together with ATAK-IIs). It seems that modifying the body and engines of the T129Bs to maritime conditions was not a cost-effective effort. Instead, AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters will serve on the TCG Anadolu LHD until the ATAK-IIs are ready, and then they will be retired when the ATAK-IIs become operational.
Since 1990, AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters have been successfully used inside and outside our country against terrorist organization PKK elements within the scope of Internal Security Operations. In late 2011, Turkey purchased 3 AH-1W Super Cobra Helicopters from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) inventory to support the worn-out and dwindling Super Cobra fleet of the Turkish Land Forces, and the helicopters were brought to Turkey on September 27, 2012, with a C-5 Galaxy military transport aircraft. Together with 7 T700-GE-401 engines (one of which is a spare) and other necessary spare parts, 3 AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters were procured via Foreign Military Sales (FMS) for US$114 Million. However, one of these helicopters was shot down by an SA-18 type MANPADS on May 13, 2016, in the Çukurca region, killing two crew members. Previously, 2 AH-1Ws were shot down on May 18, 1997 (SA-7B) and February 24, 2008 (RPG-7). On February 23, 2003, when the helicopter hangar in the Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade collapsed due to heavy snowfall, 3 Turkish Land Forces AH-1W Super Cobra Helicopters in the hangar were severely damaged (also one S-70A and one UH-1H of the Turkish Gendarmerie). Not to hinder the counter-terrorism operations, these 3 Super Cobras were later extensively repaired at the 5th Main Maintenance Center (ABMK) facilities and returned to service again. During my visit to the 5th Main Maintenance Center on January 28, 2004, it was stated that one damaged S-70A helicopter in the Turkish Gendarmerie Command inventory and one damaged AH-1W helicopter in the Turkish Land Forces inventory were refurbished and returned to service after depot-level repair and maintenance. The other 2 AH-1Ws were repaired in the following years. Therefore, a total of 13 AH-1Ws were procured for the Army Aviation Command, three of which were shot down with MANPADS and RPG-7, thus leaving 10 AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters in flying condition. A contract was signed with ASELSAN in 2017 to modernize 2 of the 10 AH-1W Super Cobras in the Turkish Land Forces inventory
