Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station Cengiz Topel Deniz Hava Üssü
IATA: KCO – ICAO: LTBQ + Cengiz Topel NAS Location of airport in Turkey
Summary
Airport type		military and public
Owner		Turkish Navy
Operator		Turkish Naval Aviation
Serves		İzmit
Location		Köseköy, Kocaeli Province
Built		1976
In use		Active
Elevation AMSL		182 ft / 55 m
Coordinates		40°44′06.10″N 030°05′00.01″E / 40.735028°N 30.0833361°E / 40.735028; 30.0833361Coordinates: 40°44′06.10″N 030°05′00.01″E / 40.735028°N 30.0833361°E / 40.735028; 30.0833361
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
09/27	9,842	3,000	Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data

Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station (Turkish: Cengiz Topel Deniz Hava Üssü), aka Topel Airport or formerly Cengiz Topel Air Base, (IATA: KCO, ICAO: LTBQ) is a Turkish Navy air station located east of İzmit in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. The airport is in joint use for military and civil. Restructured in 1976, it hosts the Turkish Naval Aviation Command with two flying units, the 301st Squadron of fixed-wing aircraft and the 351st Squadron of rotorcrafts.

The facility, formerly a base of the Turkish Air Force, is named after the Air Force fighter pilot Capt. Cengiz Topel, whose F-100 Super Sabre was shot down on August 8, 1964 during Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus. He ejected safely over land, but was promptly captured after landing and lynched by members of the Cyprus National Guard. He was the first Turkish pilot ever killed in action.

Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station is situated 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Köseköy neighborhood in İzmit and 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Lake Sapanca between the highway D.100 and the motorway O-4.

History

Topel Airport was originally a Turkish Air Force facility. Following the re-establishment of the aviation branch of the Turkish Navy in 1968, the first naval helicopter pilots were trained by the Turkish Army Aviation Command's flight school at the Güvercinlik Army Air Base in Etimesgut, Ankara Province. The unit, formed in 1972 at the same base, was transferred on May 19, 1973 from Ankara to Cengiz Topel Air Base due to its location close to Gölcük Naval Base in Kocaeli Province following a protocol signed with the Turkish Air Force two weeks before. That day, Turkish Navy's first rotorcraft unit was renamed 351st Naval Helicopter Squadron.

The 301st Naval Air Squadron, formed in 1971 at Etimesgut Air Base in Ankara Province as the fixed wing aviation unit of the Navy, was transferred on August 4, 1972 to Bandırma Air Base to join the 6th Air Force Wing. With its four maritime patrol aircraft and twelve anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft of type S-2 Tracker, the unit was then relocated to Cengiz Topel Air Base on July 14, 1976.

The base, in joint use since 1973 by the air force and the navy, was transferred to the Turkish Navy Command on July 14, 1976 following the order of the Turkish General Staff. Finally, the Naval Air Station Command was established on August 4, 1976.

The base was assigned to NATO on October 28, 1981. In 1983, helipeds in Istanbul and Çanakkale were put in service so tha helicopters of the air station could use them also.

Units

The Naval Aviation Command consists of four subcommands:

• 301st Naval Air Squadron "Yengeç" (Crab) Command
  • 9 CASA CN-235 ASW/ASuW MPA aircraft with AMASCOS (Airborne Maritime Situation & Control System) for surface warfare, submarine warfare, maritime patrol and surveillance,
  • 6 Socata TB20 for flight training, also for personnel and material transport.

• 351st Naval Helicopter Squadron "Yunusbalığı" (Dolphin) Command
  • 7 Sikorsky S-70B-28 Seahawk (17 more on order) equipped with AGM-114M Hellfire antiship missiles, HELRAS active dipping sonar, AN/APS-143V Ocean Eye maritime surveillance radar
  • 3 Agusta-Bell AB 204AS
  • 9 Agusta-Bell AB 212ASW anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare version
  • 3 Agusta-Bell AB 212EW electronic warfare version

for surface warfare, submarine warfare, maritime patrol and surveillance.

• Standards and Training Squadron Command
• Support and Maintenance Command

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
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