U.S. Air Force certifies Incirlik squad on CROWS weapon station

Airmen from the 39th Security Forces Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, completed Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station certification training at Aviano Air Base, Italy, on March 26, 2026, adding ten newly qualified operators to the installation defense network spanning two of the U. S. Air Force’s most strategically positioned bases in Europe and the Middle East.

The training was facilitated by the 31st Security Forces Squadron’s Combat Arms Training and Maintenance section, which provided the range, equipment, weapons, and safety oversight required for certification. Ten Airmen from the 39th SFS completed the course, giving Incirlik a certified CROWS capability its security forces can immediately apply to base defense operations upon return.

The event extended the reach of an instructor development effort that began at Aviano in June 2025, when U.S. Air Forces in Europe hosted a CROWS instructor course that certified trainers from across the European theater. Members of the 39th SFS who attended that earlier course returned this year as qualified instructors, delivering the certification to their own unit — a deliberate force-multiplication approach that allows a single investment in instructor training to generate capability across multiple installations over time.

CROWS is a vehicle-mounted remote weapon station that removes the gunner from an exposed turret position and places them inside an armored platform. The operator controls the weapon using a stabilized sighting system equipped with both day and thermal cameras and a laser rangefinder, allowing them to identify, track, and engage targets at greater distance and with greater precision than a conventional exposed turret allows. The thermal camera extends effective operational hours into darkness and low-visibility conditions, while the laser rangefinder supports accurate engagement of targets at range.

(Photo by Thomas Sjoberg)

“This training helped our partners from the 39th SFS complete their CROWS certifications so they can take that capability back to Incirlik and apply it to their base defense strategy,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Wyatt Croy, 31st SFS CATM instructor. “The system puts the gunner safely inside the vehicle instead of in the turret, which improves survivability while also giving Airmen the ability to engage threats from greater distance and with more accuracy.”

Staff Sgt. Quinton Burts, a 39th SFS CROWS instructor who participated in the course, described the impact on his unit’s operational posture. “This course significantly increased the number of fully qualified CROWS operators on our front lines,” Burts said. “This enhances the combat readiness and depth of every security forces flight. The true impact is a substantial increase in the lethality and survivability of our Defenders. A CROWS-qualified team can respond to threats faster, more accurately and with greater force while remaining protected. This creates a more agile and decisive security posture for the entire installation.”

(Photo by Thomas Sjoberg)

Croy also noted the system’s relevance beyond ground threats, saying it improves the ability to engage moving ground and aerial targets — a capability that has become increasingly relevant as the threat posed by small unmanned aerial systems to fixed military installations has grown across the European and broader NATO theater.

Incirlik Air Base sits in southern Turkey and serves as a critical hub for U.S. and NATO air operations across the region. Expanding CROWS-qualified operators there strengthens the layered defense of a base whose strategic position makes robust installation security a persistent requirement.