Wind tunnels as of the facilities which provided with observation and test opportunities through full-scale models in the previous time of actual flying time had been an important position in the aeronautical development from the beginning of the 20th Century. The decision to found the Ankara wind tunnel was taken simultaneously with the decision to found the Etimesgut Aircraft Factory in Ankara. After the Etimesgut Aircraft Factory was established, an Aerodynamic Research Center was founded in 1941, during the Second World War, because Turkey had been producing civilian and military airplanes and their engines. After Turkey joined NATO, it stopped building airplane and the earlier production was forgotten. The Ankara Wind Tunnel (AWT) project was undertaken by the Ministry of Turkish National Education in. Construction lasted three years. AWT became operational in 1950. Although the facility was capable of investigating aerodynamic forces and moments, flow characteristics, and other physical phenomena, it remained unused. In 1993 TÜBİTAKSAGE began a renovation project that lasted until1998.

The Ankara Wind Tunnel has a closed circuit, horizontal loop, low speed wind tunnel with a closed atmospheric test section. Test section size is 3.05 m wide, X 2.44 m high, and X 6.10 long. In the test room the flow velocity can reach up to 90 m/s (324 km/h). The full sized object or the scaled model is assembled to the test section. The flow velocity can be supplied up to 324 km/h. The tested object can be positioned to required angle and with the help of internal and external balance systems the load measurement or the flow observation can be carried out with diverse techniques.