Halil İbrahim Fırtına

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Halil Ibrahim Fırtına (born January 1, 1941 in Ordu, Turkey) is a Turkish Air Force General.

Firtina graduated from Ordu High School in 1956 and then moved on to the Turkish Air Force Academy, graduating as a Third Lieutenant in 1962. He was assigned to the 143rd Squadron, 5th Main Jet Base as a fighter interceptor pilot in 1964.

He continued to rise through the ranks of the Turkish Armed Forces, graduating from the Air War College in 1972. He joined the 192nd Squadron, 9th Main Jet Base and became an instructing officer with this squadron.

His rise continued, commanding the 184th squadron and later serving as a military attaché to West Germany, based in Bonn. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1989 and became attaché to the United States of America in Washington DC in 1991.

He was promoted to the rank of a Major General on 30 August 1993 and maintained his duties as the chief of logistics, Tactical Air Force Command (TAFC) and was assigned as the deputy commander at the 1st TAFC in 1996. 1997 saw his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General on 30 August 1997.

Firtina was assigned as the deputy commander of war colleges in 1997, commander at the 1st TAFC and NATO Southern Region 6th Combined Air Operations Center in 1999 and was promoted to the rank of General on 30 August 2001. He assumed duty as the commander of the war colleges and was later assigned as the commander of the Turkish Air Force as of 27 August 2003, a position he currently holds.

General H. Ibrahim Firtina is married to Melahat Firtina and they have two children.

In his hometown Ordu stands a statue of him and of a real F-16 airplane.