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Notes on Our Visit to the 2nd AMFD and Aircraft FASBAT Directorate

The 2nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate has an important place in the Turkish Aviation Industry History (formerly the 2nd Air Supply Maintenance Center). Turkey`s first aviation industry breakthrough took place in 1926 in Kayseri, where the maintenance and repairs of Turkish Air Force (TurAF) Junkers Aircraft were carried out. These efforts ended in 1928 but were revived with the establishment of the `Kayseri Aircraft Factory` in 1932. Unfortunately, the life of the Factory, which was operating with 1,000 idealist engineers and technicians at that time, ended in 1939. The legacy of the Kayseri Aircraft Factory, the 2nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate, continues its activities successfully under the General Directorate of Military Factories as one of the leading facilities of the Turkish Air Force.

Date: Issue 110 - October 2021

The 2nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate (AFMD) was established as Turkey's first aircraft factory (Kayseri Aircraft Factory) by "Turkish Aircraft & Motor Incorporated Company (TOMTAŞ)," which was formed jointly by the Turkish Aeroplane League and the German company Junkers Aircraft & Motor Works under the agreement signed on August 15, 1925, and the factory was officially inaugurated with a ceremony held on October 6, 1926. However, due to the disagreement between the company and the government over financing issues, the company had to go bankrupt on May 3, 1928, and the factory was closed. In 1930, the company was liquidated, and the facility was transferred to the Ministry of National Defense. After 1933, multiple agreements were signed with the USA, Germany, Poland, and England, and with the outstanding efforts of Turkish engineers and workers, the production of Curtiss Hawk, Curtiss Fledgling, Gotha Go 145, Peletel PZL 24A, and Miles Magister aircraft was started under license. Since 1950, the name of the facility was changed to the "Air Supply Maintenance and Maintenance Center," and in 1970, it was included in the "Reorganization and Modernization (REMO)" Project and became an "Air Supply and Maintenance Center." On July 1, 1975, its name was changed to the 'Supply and Maintenance Center Command,' and on February 19, 1986, the name of the facility was changed to the '2nd Air Supply and Maintenance Center Command'. 

In 2016, the General Directorate of Military Factories was established under the Ministry of National Defense to ensure the effective management of the Military Factories of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) under a single financial and administrative authority. The 2nd Air Supply and Maintenance Center, one of the 3 Air Supply Maintenance Centers that were previously part of the Turkish Air Force, started to operate as the 2nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate under the General Directorate of Military Factories after an organizational change in 2017.