ANKARA
Following two aircraft accidents within the last two weeks, which killed six combat pilots, the Turkish Air Force announced that they will stop using RF-F4 aircraft as of Thursday.
Four pilots were killed on Feb. 24 when two military RF-4E aircraft lost contact during reconnaissance flights in the Akcadag district of Turkey's southeastern Malatya province. Another RF-4E aircraft crashed on March 5, killing two pilots in Turkey's central Konya province.
The Turkish Air Force includes 49 McDonnell Douglas F-4 E 2020s and 8 McDonnell Douglas RF-4 Es from the U.S.
McDonnell Douglas F-4s were used by the U.S. Air force from 1960 to 1996. The aircraft was widely used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
The Turkish Air Force mainly uses F-4s for reconnaissance and training flights.
