Tracing its origins back to June 1911, and officially established as a separate branch of the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri, THK) is the air warfare branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. After operating four generations of fighter aircraft imported from abroad, and building up one of most powerful air forces in Europe: over the last 30 years, it became one of most combat-experienced in the NATO, too, having participated in numerous counter-terrorism operations, flown close air support (CAS), precision strikes, intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance operations in multiple conflicts.Currently, Turkey is working on the design and development of an idingeous combat aircraft under a project called Milli Muharip Ucak (National Combat Aircraft, MMU) – a fifth generation fighter bomber with features and characteristics incorporated in only a handful of current or upcoming aircraft.Lavishly illustrated, Modern Turkish Airpower is a comprehensive, single-source point of reference to the modern-day Turkish Air Force.