On the 6th of May 2024, the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) hosted the international edition of exercise Anadolu Ankası (Anatolian Phoenix) at their 3rd Main Jet Base in Konya. The exercise lasted for two weeks. During this Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) exercise for combat ready aircrew and personnel, 715 personnel from various countries gathered at Konya Air Base to practice together. Flying assets consisted of seventeen helicopters, eight fixed wing fighters, two transport aircraft and three UAV/UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) for this exercise.
The Project Officer assigned to the 136th Courses and JTAC Squadron stated that “objectives of the exercise are to test and improve the Command and Control (C2) process within the scope of Personnel Recovery (PR) operations, to test the interoperability of various elements in a combat environment. To develop survival and evasive procedures and to increase the level of training, not only for the aircrew, but for all the participants”. The Major continued “missions such as Personnel Recovery (PR), Close Air Support (CAS), Dynamic Targeting (DT) and Time Sensitive Targeting (TST) within the scope of Joint/Combined Operations, are included in the exercise scenarios’.
The Türk Kara Kuvvetleri (Turkish Army) attended in this edition with one Combat Search and Rescue Team. Flying assets consisted of one AS.532UL Cougar transport helicopter from Ankara/Güvercinlik and three T-129B attack helicopters.
The Turkish Special Forces (Özel Hava Alayı) participated with one of their T-70 Blackhawks from Ankara/Etimesgut and one Special Forces Team. The Turkish Navy (Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri) took part with a single SAT (Su Altı Taaruz) Team which is a Special Forces unit specialised in underwater offensive operations.
The Jandarma, the Turkish Gendarmerie (Türk Jandarma Havacılık Başkanlığı), attended with two JTAC teams and a single S-70 Black Hawk from Ankara/Güvercinlik.
“this was a very complex exercise to organize, because there were twelve CSAR helicopters, five attack helicopters, eight fighters, two cargo airplanes, three UCAVs and lots of different teams to plan and to get adequate benefit from the exercise.”
The Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) participated with an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), multiple types of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Locally based units at Konya supported the exercise with several aircraft and helicopters: 132 Filo provided four F-16s while 302 Filo supported the exercise with command and control support (C2) services with one of their Boeing E-7T Wedgetail AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. 135 Filo, also based at Konya, delivered multiple flying assets; one CASA CN-235 transport aircraft, a single AS.532AL Cougar helicopter and a TAI T-70 Black Hawk. The ANKA-S UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) assigned to 302 Filo operated out of its homebase Incirlik. Two CSAR Teams and one JTAC teams complemented the Turkish participation for this exercise, making it a total of 366 military personnel participating.
The Azerbaijani delegation consisted of 75 personnel, bringing, besides the two CSAR Teams and one JTAC Team, two recently modernized Azerbaijani Air Force Sukhoi Su-25ML “Frogfoot” ground attack fighters, based at Kyurdamir Air Base and operated by 1st Squadron, to Konya.
The Qatar Emiri Air Force was again well represented during this edition. The Qatar Emiri Air Force brought even more helicopters to Konya this year. No less than six helicopters, one fixed wing aircraft and two Bayraktar TB-2 UAVs were flown in at Konya Air Base to participate in the exercise. A pair of NH-90 TTH helicopters, operated by 9th Squadron, based at Doha participated for the first time. Like previous years, two AW139 transport helicopters assigned to the 20th Squadron that operates out of Al Udaid Air Base were also present. For Air support missions, a pair of AH-64E Apache’s manned by personnel of the 41st Squadron, part of the helicopter Group, based at Doha Air Base, Qatar, took part in the exercise. With one of the AH-64E Apache’s carrying a AN/APG-78 LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR). Transport capacity was provided by a single C-17A, assigned to the Airlift Group and operated by 10th Squadron, which is also based at Al Udaid Ai Base. Two Bayraktar TB-2 UAVs were flown in from Al-Shamal, Qatar, from where the UAV Squadron operates the Bayraktar TB-2 fleet. Qatar was the launch-export customer for the Bayraktar TB-2 with six TB-2’s being delivered in 2018. A total of 220 Qatari personnel took part in the exercise.
Romania participated with a pair of IAR-330L-MR Puma helicopters, operated by Escadrila 572 Elicoptere based at Mihail Kogălniceanu, just north of the city of Constanta, Romania. One CSAR Team and one JTAC team complemented the Romanian delegation for this exercise, making it a total of 30 of participating personnel.
Two countries did not bring any flying asset during the exercise. Poland participated with two JTAC Teams with a total of six participating. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived with one CSAR Team and one JTAC Team, bringing a total of 16 military personnel to Konya.
On a short notice, Slovakia was added to the participants list with a single JTAC Team.
One of the instructors of the exercise, a Cougar pilot, stated that “this was a very complex exercise to organize, because there were twelve CSAR helicopters, five attack helicopters, eight fighters, two cargo airplanes, three UCAVs and lots of different teams to plan and to get adequate benefit from the exercise.” Another instructor added; “We have three different exercise areas. In the east, a low altitude area for desert missions, in the west, a medium altitude area, for mountainous and sea/lake missions and in the South a high altitude and mountainous area. We conducted all type of missions in these three areas.”
The participating aircrew and personnel were responsible for the tactical planning, briefings and the execution of all types of missions. This included Close Air Support (CAS), Urban Close Air Support (U-CAS) and CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) missions, but also CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) and Point Defence missions.
Even though the exercise was a build up around fictive scenarios, it was noticeable that the exercise adopted to situations that occurred in previous years, with the war in Ukraine and the conflict regarding Gaza.
All missions were planned within this fictive scenario, with a tense situation between two neighbouring countries; Blue land and Black land, and a terrorist organization backed up by Black land, located near the border of Blue land.
Aviation-photos.nl closely witnessed the execution of a variety of missions, which was built up from events and missions which took several days of planning, preparation and execution. A few days earlier ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) missions were executed with the Bayraktar TB-2 and the data that was gathered revealed a lot of activities by the terrorist group near the border. A Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) Team was then tasked to infiltrate and to stay in the area for multiple days. The HALO (High Altitude-Low Opening) technique was used after disembarking an Qatari C-17A transport aircraft at high altitude. The JTAC team spotted members of the terrorist group while transporting kamikaze UAVs and paramotors to a shelter area, just a few miles away from the border inside Black land.
The order was given to neutralize this storage area. A pair of Turkish F-16Cs, operated by 132 Filo, was tasked to execute this mission. Besides the Qatari Bayraktar TB-2, a Turkish ANKA-S, a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UCAV also took off to collect intelligence for the Joint Task Force and to act as a backup for the TB-2. The JTAC team used a nine line plan to talk the ‘DAGGER’ formation to their target, live Mk.82 bombs were released between fifteen hundred and two thousand feet AGL by both the F-16Cs. During a second run, ‘DAGGER-2’ was hit by an 9K32 Strela-2 (NATO name SA-7 Grail), a light weight, shoulder fired surface-to-air missile, with an engine failure as a result. The pilot was forced to eject and became an ISOP (ISOlated Personnel) while landing by parachute miles behind the border, near several terrorists cells and had to be rescued during a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission. The JTAC team witnessed the parachute descending and started a shortened nine line plan briefing with the TB-2. The Joint Task Force immediately started to plan a CSAR mission while taking several factors into account; in this scenario it was a single pilot with possible minor injuries. The ingress and egress routes needed to be determined. But also enemy threats is one of the factors they have to cope with. In this scenario, the next phase was to eliminate the surface-to-air threat first. The Qatari Bayraktar TB-2 with callsign ‘MERLIN’ approached the area from the South, at a high altitude and the TB-2 operator released a Roketsan MAM-C lightweight Smart Micro Munition missile to eliminate the SA-7 post.
Intel showed that one of the terrorist commanders was in a convoy in the aera while the JTAC team spotted another group of armoured vehicles driving towards the location of the isolated pilot. The JTAC team held a short gameplan nine line briefing after which the convoy, with the terrorist commander now considered being a High Value Target, came under attack. ‘DAGGER’ formation, this time consisting of four F-16Cs used their built-in cannon to force the convoy to a halt. Meanwhile, the first helicopter package was called in by the JTAC team. While arriving from South, the ‘APACHEE’ formation, a pair of two Qatari AH-6E Apache’s, attacked the group of armoured vehicles while flying at fifteen hundred feet, not only using their M230 30mm automatic chain guns, but also firing 2,75 inch Hydra rockets at their targets.
‘THOR’ flight, consisting of two Qatari NH-90s and two Blackhawk helicopters (Jandarma and Turkish Special Forces), arrived just minutes after the ‘APPACHEE’ formation on the scene, approaching from the South and flying low. The Apache’s provided Close Air Support while the Blackhawks hovered below fifty feet while Special Forces used fast ropes to quickly disembark. Their task; to secure the area and to capture the High Value Target. The helicopters departed within minutes.
Another attack was needed with four F-16s, each releasing a pair of Mk.82 bombs simultaneously onto the group of armoured vehicles.
The next phase was to provide Close Air Support and to extract the special forces and the captured commander. The second helicopter package was called in by the JTAC team. Immediately after the F-16’s finished their run, ATTACK-1 and ATTACK-2, both Turkish Army T-129B ATAK helicopters arrived at the scene at fifteen hundred feet, while attacking the armoured vehicles using their 20 mm turreted guns and firing 70 mm unguided rockets. Followed by the arrival of a single Turkish Army Cougar and two Romanian Air Force IAR-330 Puma’s flying as ‘ANGEL’ flight. The special forces and the captured commander boarded the helicopters while the T-129B attack helicopter provided Close Air Support at a low altitude.
With the downed pilot still on the ground, The next and last phase was to execute the CSAR mission when a second group of armoured vehicles was spotted while heading towards the downed pilot. Another attack was needed and four Turkish F-16s were talked to their targets by the JTAC team, to release a pair of live Mk.82 bombs onto the convoy.
The third and final package was called in. A Turkish Air Force AS.532AL Cougar followed by a pair of Qatar Emeri Air Force AW139s, while continuously being covered by a pair of low flying Turkish Army T-129A ATAK helicopters. Which provided the needed Close Air Support while the special forces disembarked the helicopters, identified the pilot and brought him back to safety.
A total of one hundred and seventy sorties were flown within a span of two weeks, with just a few missions being cancelled, mainly due to maintenance issues. The aim to provide a steep learning curve was achieved for many of the participants, especially for those that are not used to work in an international environment in which English is a standard language. The major concluded “they had to adopt the process, which is a composition of getting the mission, the planning, the coordinating with other air and ground assets and executing the CSAR missions.”