Azerbaijani military involved in Turkey’s Anatolian Eagle 2021 exercise
The air forces of Azerbaijan, Qatar, and Pakistan, participated in Turkey’s Anatolian Eagle 2021 exercise, which is presently taking place at the 3rd Main Jet Base in Konya, Ahval news reported.
The Turkish Ministry of Defence announced the commencement of the exercise on June 21. The overall goal of the exercise, the ministry tweeted, is “to share knowledge, ability and experience besides enhancing training level for the joint operation.” On June 24, the ministry also announced that “brotherly nation Azerbaijan participated in the Anatolian Eagle Training for the first time.”
Official video and images released by the ministry show Turkish F-16s training alongside Russian-built Azerbaijani MiG-29 fighter jets and Su-25 attack planes. French-built Dassault Rafale multirole fighters of the Qatari Air Force also participated. Qatar only recently began taking delivery of the 4.5-generation French jets. They are the same kind of fighters Turkey’s rival Greece will soon start receiving from France for service in the Hellenic Air Force.
The Pakistani Air Force also participated with its JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, an aircraft jointly developed by Pakistan and China.