134 Squadron at Konya

The Turkish Stars were created by official decree on 7 November 1992 as the 134th Aerobatic Squadron at the 3rd Main Jet Base, Konya. Training began on 25 December 1992 with four NF-5 aircraft, and the team gave its first show in Ankara on 18 June 1993. It was presented formally to the public on 5 October 1994. Today it consists of seven display pilots supported by public affairs staff and a maintenance team of 38.

Modified Freedom Fighters

The team flies the Canadair-built NF-5A and two-seat NF-5B Freedom Fighter, a supersonic light fighter, which makes it one of the few aerobatic teams flying supersonic jets. In 1993 and 1994 the aircraft were stripped of combat equipment such as chaff and flare dispensers and gun barrels, given extra mirrors for formation work, and fitted with a smoke system that pumps coloured dye from the wingtip tanks into the exhaust. A camera system followed in 2000 and a new livery in 2012. The fleet comprises seven NF-5As and six NF-5Bs.

Baku and beyond

The formation grew from four aircraft to six in 1994, seven in 1995 and eight in 2004. The team flew its hundredth display on 29 October 2000, and on 24 August 2001 it performed in Baku, Azerbaijan, before a crowd reported at more than a million people, which the team cites as a world record. It has since displayed widely abroad as well as at home.

Losses in training

Training accidents have cost the team two pilots. On 13 March 2012 an NF-5 crashed two kilometres from Konya, killing its pilot, and on 7 April 2021 another crashed near Karatay, again killing the pilot. A bird strike caused an engine failure on 6 December 2022, but the pilot ejected unhurt. On 14 March 2024 an NF-5 crashed while landing at Konya into an area where runway repairs were under way; the pilot ejected, but a serviceman working on the site was killed.

The Hürjet transition

The NF-5s, in Turkish service for decades, have reached the end of their structural life. The Turkish Air Force has chosen the TAI Hürjet, a domestically developed jet trainer, as the replacement, and joint formation flights with the NF-5s have taken place. Turkish aviation press reported in April 2026 that the change would be made in stages so that the display calendar is not interrupted.