FACTBOX-Coups in Turkey over last 50 years

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Turkey's military said on Tuesday it launched an investigation into reports detailing a suspected army plan to discredit the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party.

The army has staged three coups and helped topple one government in the last 50 years, but analysts see little risk of the military staging a new putsch.

Here are details about military coups in the last 50 years:

* 1960:

-- On May 27, an almost bloodless military coup was carried out, led by officers and cadets from the Istanbul and Ankara war colleges, demanding political reforms.

-- Three former ministers, including Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, were executed.

* 1971 - The "Coup by Memorandum":

-- The military delivered a warning to the government to restore order after months of street fighting between leftists and nationalists. Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel stepped down. Martial law was established and not completely lifted until September 1973.

* 1980:

-- On Sept. 12, 1980, the senior command of the army led by General Kenan Evren, carried out a bloodless coup. The action followed a resurgence of street fighting between leftists and nationalists. Leading politicians were arrested, and parliament, political parties, and trade unions were dissolved. A provisional constitution that gave almost unlimited power to military commanders was implemented.

* 1997 - The "Post-Modern Coup":

-- On June 18, 1997 Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, denounced by opponents as a danger to the country's secular order, stepped down under pressure from the military, business, the judiciary and fellow politicians.

* 2007

-- The general staff intervened in presidential elections by issuing an email statement, branded an "e-coup" by critics. The move drew an unprecedented public reaction from the government. Abdullah Gul, opposed by the military, was elected president and and the ruling AK Party won a crushing election victory in ensuing parliamentary elections.

-- A shadowy group known as Ergenekon first came to light in June, when a cache of explosives was discovered in a police raid on an Istanbul house. Prosecutors charge that the network planned assassinations and bomb attacks to stir unrest to pave the way for a new military intervention.

* 2008/9:

-- Retired general Sener Eruygur, once head of the paramilitary gendarmerie, and retired general Hursit Tolon, the former first army commander, were arrested in July 2008. The military denied any link to the group, known as Ergenekon.

-- More than 200 people, including senior generals, are already on trial under two previous indictments in the case.

Sources: Reuters/www.britannica.com (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)