Turkish air forces have NATO standards, while its leading force comes from its well-trained personnel, said Air Forces Commander Gen. Abidin Ünal.

Top-level attendees discussed the future of air wars at the International Symposium on Air Warfare (ISAW) held in Istanbul by Turkish Air War College on Thursday. The meeting hosted 1063 high-level figures from 53 countries including the U.S., the U.K, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Ghana, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The symposium is known as one of the most important air force symposiums in the region, while the first ISAW was held in 2014.

Aidyn Akanovich Aimbetov, a Kazakh cosmonaut who has returned to the world from the space on Sep. 1, 2015 said, “When we look from the sky, we do not see borders between countries. I hope all conflicts will be solved in peace.”

“We should think of the fifth generation”

“The air force of today constitutes of supersonic aircrafts, electronic systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), missiles and satellites. These armament have serious cost, while defense budgets are reduced. We are lucky as Turkish Air Force, in this regard. We have NATO standards in warcrafts, airborne warning and control and satellite reconnaissance. However, our leading force comes from our well-trained personnel and qualified human force, from our radar operators to pilots” Abidin Ünal added.

Norwegian historian and professor John Andreas Olsen who was awarded by the ISAW for his contribution also commented on the recent developments in air wars. According to Olsen, “historians witness interesting time periods lately”.

“Fifth generation war-crafts such as F-35 are becoming a part of the inventory of air forces, including forces of Turkey. For this reason, we should think over the fifth generation” John Andreas Olsen commented.