Aerial combat engagements between Cyprus and Turkey
Kokkina Interdiction and Air Attacks - 1964 Invasion of Cyprus by Turkey - 20th July 1974 to 18th August 1974 See main article: Air combat during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus Paphos Incident - 22nd October 2000 On the 22nd October 2000, TOR-M1 air-defence batteries operated by the Cyprus National Guard at Papandreou Air Base tracked a pair of Turkish warplanes detected approaching the air base by "locking-on" to them The action of engaging the Turkish aircraft with radar forced the warplanes to retreat from the area, as Greek Cypriot and Greek forces conducted joint military manouveres in the Paphos region. The incident prompted an angry outburst from the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, who was reported in the media to have condemned the radar lock-on as an provacation that could lead to war. Paphos Incident - 5th April 2002 It was variously reported in the Cyprus media <ref name="ReferenceA"/> that combat radars of the Cyprus National Guard, based at Papandreou Air Base in Paphos, had tracked two Turkish F-16 warplanes at 11am on the 5th April 2002, by "locking-on" to them. The two Turkish aircraft were reported to have incurred into the Nicosia Flight Information Region and then passed directly over the Greek Cypriot air base at an altitude of 3500 feet. Upon realising that they were being tracked, the two Turkish aircraft reportedly turned back towards Turkey and returned to their airbase.