strategy

How Turkish Pilots Forced to Parachute Out of Their Planes Due to Malfunction in Aegean Flights Are Rescued? What is the Search and Rescue Problem with Greece in the Aegean?

According to the Hamburg Convention, if search and rescue areas cannot be determined through agreement, the parties will strive for comprehensive coordination of search and rescue services until such an agreement is made. Greece did not show a positive approach to Turkey's calls for this goal, and such coordination could not be established in the Aegean.

What are the main problems between Greece and Türkiye in the Aegean?

The main problems we experience between Greece and Türkiye in the Aegean context are grouped under five categories.

1. The first of these is related to maritime jurisdiction areas, including territorial waters and continental shelves and the limitations of these areas. In terms of territorial waters, the maritime border between Türkiye and Greece has not yet been determined by agreement. Currently, the width of the territorial waters of both Turkey and Greece in the Aegean Sea is 6 nautical miles. Again in this context, the borders of the continental shelf belonging to Turkey and Greece in the Aegean have not yet been determined. Currently, neither Turkey nor Greece has a restricted maritime jurisdiction beyond the territorial waters of 6 nautical miles in the Aegean.

2. Another Aegean problem is the demilitarized status of the Eastern Aegean Islands within the framework of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the 1947 Treaty of Paris and other international documents on the subject.

3. Another fundamental problem regarding the Aegean region relates to the legal status of some geographical formations. This dispute is about the legal status of certain geographical formations and the sovereignty over these formations within the framework of the treaty provisions determining the status quo in the Aegean.

4. The fourth of the Aegean problems is that Greece claims that its national airspace is 10 nautical miles wide, contrary to international law, and abuses its Flight Information Region (FIR) responsibility. The main reasons for this conflict are the persistent abuse of Flight Information Region (FIR) responsibility by Greece and the Greek claim that the width of the national airspace is 10 nautical miles, while the width of Greece's territorial waters is 6 nautical miles.

Problem of Search and Rescue (SAR) Activities in the Aegean

5. The fifth category of Aegean problems is related to Search and Rescue (SAR) Activities. Maritime Search and Rescue activities are regulated by the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (Hamburg Convention) dated 1979.

In addition, since the agreement reached in search and rescue areas must be applicable, it must be compatible with search and rescue areas on the high seas. Annex 12 of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation makes a clear distinction between sea and air search and rescue areas and emphasizes the priority of the maritime dimension within the framework of search and rescue activities carried out on the high seas.

Turkey has declared its own search and rescue area and registered it in the Global SAR Plan of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In this context, Turkey continues to effectively carry out search and rescue activities to save human lives in its own region in the Aegean.

Turkey's View on Search and Rescue Regions in the Aegean

Since the Turkish and Greek Search and Rescue Areas overlap, all search and rescue operations carried out in these overlapping areas must be coordinated in accordance with Article 2.1.5 of the 1979 Hamburg Convention.

The dispute between Greece and Turkey regarding search and rescue zones basically stems from Greece's approach to the issue as a matter of sovereignty. Search and rescue areas designated to save human lives are service areas, not sovereignty areas.

Almost all of the five problem areas in the Aegean; It is an issue that remains current during the air activities of the Turkish Air Force over the Aegean Sea from past to present and the joint exercises carried out with the Naval Forces in the international waters of the Aegean Sea. In this context, the pilots participating in Aegean flights and the controllers who provide them with uninterrupted support at the radar scope are also aware and aware of these problems. Likewise, the Commanders who monitor these activities from air operations centers and carry out command control fulfill their duties by taking into account the Aegean problems during their term of office, and serve as the implementers of Turkey's policy regarding the Aegean problems.

Retired Air Lieutenant General Erdoğan ÖZNAL, who was among the Commanders in question and served as the First Tactical Air Force Commander in Eskişehir between April 1994 and August 1996, was my highest-level Commander during the same years when I served as a pilot at the 192nd Fleet Command. Now, let's read together his memories of the search and rescue activities in the Aegean during his time on duty. I would like to see together how a simple search and rescue activity keeps people's minds busy, even during the rush to save people.

How Were Search and Rescue Activities Performed on Aegean Flights in the 1990s?

"One day, one of the important Aegean profiles was flying. A column of four F-16 fighter jets, taking off from Balıkesir, landed south from Dalaman and was performing a combat patrol duty. I was also following the column on the screen. Everything was normal, the column finished its mission around Crete and headed north on its return route. He was flying in the right direction, a call came from the CAOC, the voice on the phone was saying that number 2 of the 4-way stick had an emergency situation. This was an engine and fuel problem, I started to watch the handle closely, but a Minutes later, the CAOC controller officer on duty said that number 2 had a fuel problem, that it would not be able to reach the Turkish coast, and that he was asking for a forced landing permit in Rhodes if necessary. I understood the seriousness of the situation. I quickly considered the incident in my mind, within 10-15 seconds, and made my decision: "Rhodes if it wishes." "It can land in one of the two airfields in the area," I said, otherwise we could have lost an F-16 plane and the pilot. 10-15 seconds after I said it could land in Rhodes, the Air Defense Operations Center controller on duty said: "Sir, the pilot jumped with a parachute and the plane crashed into the sea. " said. He jumped approximately 15 miles southeast of Rhodes Island, and if he had worked hard, he could have hit Dalaman Square. Because Dalaman was 2-3 minutes away. But it didn't happen. We also received confirmation from other pilots that the pilot's parachute opened and he landed safely in the sea. The thing to do now was to activate the search and rescue organization. We had a UH-1 helicopter waiting in Eskişehir for this purpose. Likewise, there was another helicopter in Çiğli for 15 minutes, and we gave the order for it to take off. We subsequently canceled the departure of the Eskişehir helicopter because the distance was too long and it would take hours to get there. While we were dealing with these activities, news came that the pilot had been rescued. Approximately 15 minutes after the accident, a Greek helicopter took off from Rhodes and rescued F 16's pilot, First Lieutenant M.Y., from the sea and took him to Rhodes.

Meanwhile, we reported the situation to the Air Force Command, embassy channels were intervened, we wanted the pilot to be given to us as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I immediately sent Deputy Commander Major General Batmaz DANDİN to Dalaman with the CN-235 CASA plane. If the Greeks gave the pilot, he would take it and bring it to Eskişehir. Despite all the insistence, Greece did not give the pilot that day. They must have wanted to create public opinion and put on a show. He told the world, "Look, this sea is my responsibility, the responsibility for search and rescue here belongs to me. The Turks could not save the pilot of their own plane, we did." they wanted to say. They gave the pilot the next day, he was in good health. If I remember correctly, they dropped the pilot and the doctor and other assistants to Dalaman Square with a C-130 plane, and we brought him to Eskişehir from there. The cause of the accident was "Trap Fuel", in other words "hidden fuel". As it is known, the fuel system of the F-16 aircraft is quite complex. Even though there is fuel in your plane, it is thought that it has run out of fuel due to not using the fuel tanks properly. This was the probable cause of this incident.

After 3-5 months, an F-4 Phantom aircraft belonging to the 112th Fleet, which was engaged in a dogfight with Greek F-16s off the coast of Lesbos Island, crashed due to "out of control".

The pilot lieutenant in the front could not be found despite all the searches, he was martyred, and the teacher pilot captain in the back jumped with a parachute. As soon as the accident occurred, the helicopters waiting in Çiğli took off within five minutes and started searching. Meanwhile, Greek C-130 aircraft and helicopters specially equipped for search and rescue purposes also took off. The Greek F-16s, which were engaged in air combat with the F-4s, were still in the area, and they reported the exact coordinates of where the pilot jumped to their C-130 planes (the F-16 has such capability.) The Greek C-130B located the Hercules. He gave directions to his helicopter and helped the pilot to be rescued.

A few weeks after I retired and handed over my duty, on September 8, 1996, in an air battle with Greek planes in the west of Chios Island, a double-seater F-16D belonging to the 9th Main Jet Base 192nd Fleet Command in Balıkesir was attacked. His plane crashed into the sea. Air Pilot Staff Lieutenant Colonel Osman ÇİÇEKLİ, who was in the front seat, jumped with a parachute, and the Greeks rescued him again. Unfortunately, Instructor Pilot Captain Nail ERDOĞAN, who was in the backseat, lost his life and was martyred during this accident.

By describing these events, I would like to avoid giving the wrong impression that only Turkish planes crashed in the Aegean or on Aegean flights. The first plane crash on Aegean flights occurred in 1989. A Greek Mirage F-1 plane, which got into a dogfight with an F-16 belonging to the 4th Base, crashed into the sea and its pilot died as a result. Later, there were aircraft losses in the Aegean, sometimes from them and sometimes from us.

What I really want to say when narrating these events is to talk about the serious weaknesses of our Air Force in search and rescue at that time. This job could undoubtedly not be done properly with the outdated Bell UH-1H helicopters. Every time our pilots were rescued by Greek helicopters, it pained me, I couldn't stomach it, we were embarrassed to those around us and especially to the Turkish public. The Aegean Sea provided Greece with a great advantage in search and rescue due to its geographical location and especially the presence of the Aegean Islands, and they actually took this job very seriously at that time. Later, we tried to take more effective search and rescue measures. "I think the line the Air Force has reached today in this regard is at a level that cannot be compared to the past."

Conclusion

Yes, indeed, the Turkish Air Force has made significant progress in terms of search and rescue technical facilities and the aircraft used. Not only search and rescue, but also combat search and rescue and personnel rescue activities can be carried out in all weather conditions, including at night. Now, instead of UH-1 helicopters, 21 Eurocopter Cougar helicopters purchased from France and CN-235 CASA aircraft reinforced with search and rescue capabilities are used in this context. The Turkish Air Force will have better opportunities and capabilities in search and rescue activities with the TAI-produced T-70i Sikorsky helicopters, the number of which will increase in the inventory in the near future.

While technical progress has been made, it is also thought-provoking that no progress has yet been made between Turkey and Greece regarding search and rescue responsibilities in the Aegean. The Aegean Problems continue to build a wall between the parties and be a factor of tension in a rigid state.