Turkish Minister of Defence Yaşar Güler has reaffirmed İncirlik Airbase’s status as a Turkish airbase for combat aircraft on CNN Türk. On the 18th of April 2024, the Turkish MoD announced that the 10th Tanker Base Command had been renamed to the 10th Main Jet Base Command, aligning with the evolving needs of the Turkish Air Force. The statement caused several discussions about whether the USAF and Royal Air Force would withdraw their aircraft and whether the base would not serve NATO. TurDef had written at that time that the airbase would be a combat base.
Regarding the subject, Güler has made the following statement:
“We used to have tanker aircraft only in İncirlik. After the incidents in Syria, we stationed our F-16s there. We started this last year and announced it. It’s name is 10th Main Jet Base Command. It is a solely combat air base. Turkiye has full management and control over the airbase.”
The 152nd Fleet, located in Merzifon Air Base, was moved to Incirlik in recent years. With the assignment of a combat fleet to Incirlik, this place left the ‘Tanker Base’ category and became the ‘Main Jet Base’. The 152nd Fleet, in case of a scramble, can take off in seven minutes. Specialising in air-to-surface and interception missions, the Fleet is protecting the airfield of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Mediterranean Sea.
