Turkey's Involvement in the War: Part A. F-16s

Razm.info has attempted to analyze the participation of the Turkish Armed Forces in the military actions in Artsakh since September 27. Our first article on this topic concerns the potential use of Turkey's Air Force F-16 fighters.

On July 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced joint military exercises with the Turkish Air Force in Azerbaijan. A group of Turkish Air Force F-16 fighters arrived in Azerbaijan at the end of July. Along with them, Turkish strike 'Atak' and multifunctional UH-60 helicopters were also delivered to 'mother' Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan by Turkish military transport planes. Concurrent with these Air Force exercises, separate ground forces exercises were also being conducted.

The actual exercises were expected, as Turkey and Azerbaijan hold joint military exercises regularly, particularly for Air Force exercises since 2014, often conducted in August and September. However, the Air Force exercises of 2020 differed from the previous ones in certain aspects, notably the choice of location and the characteristics of the involved units.

Five Turkish F-16 fighters were stationed at Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan. While this airport had dual-use during Soviet times, it was reconstructed in 2006 and used exclusively for civilian purposes. Previously, this airport had not been involved in military exercises; usually, Turkish aircraft were stationed at the dual-use Evlakh airport, which is also one of Azerbaijan's UAV centers.

Regarding the 'mother' Azerbaijani arrival of Turkish 'Atak' and UH-60 helicopters, they were stationed deep in the Azerbaijani rear at the 'Nasonaya' airbase, where the Azerbaijani Air Force's MiG-29 fighter aviation is located. The deployment of helicopters here is perhaps due to the ongoing parallel ground troop exercises, with the helicopters involved in supporting ground units during the exercises taking place at a training ground northwest of Baku, with 'Nasonaya' being the closest airbase.

During the war, we did not record participation from Turkish helicopters. Moreover, there are currently no data indicating whether these helicopters are still in Azerbaijan.

Particular attention is warranted regarding the composition of the F-16s. Although it was not the first time Turkish F-16 fighters arrived in Azerbaijan, this group that arrived under the pretext of joining the exercises stood out because it included aircraft from the Turkish Air Force's 151st and 152nd squadrons. F-16s, while multifunctional fighter jets capable of undertaking various tasks, tend to be specialized in specific roles due to the large fleet size in countries like Turkey. Accordingly, the aircraft of the 151st and 152nd squadrons that arrived in Azerbaijan are specialized in suppressing enemy air defenses.

The F-16 fighters 91–0022 and 89–0043 from the 151st Squadron of the Turkish Air Force were stationed at Ganja Airport in July 2020. Colonel Gokhan Gyurakara, from the Merzvan airbase (which includes the 151st squadron), was also sent to Azerbaijan, recognized as the ‘operational line commander’ (Turkish: Harekât Komutanı). Officially, the operational line officer is responsible for the development and organization of operations as necessary.

In addition, there was at least one fighter from the Turkish Air Force's 162nd squadron in the group, which is multifunctional and had previously participated in joint exercises in Azerbaijan in 2017. The jointly announced military exercises began on July 29, with a declared end date of August 10. With the start of the exercises, Turkish F-16s began flying within Azerbaijani airspace, but after the announced completion date for the exercises, they did not depart Azerbaijan and remained at Ganja Airport, continuing flights and even conducting a demonstration flight over Ganja on September 15.

Following the start of large-scale military operations on September 27, Turkish Air Force fighters continued to remain stationed at Ganja Airport at least until October 4, when Armenian forces launched missile strikes toward Ganja. It should be noted that although the spokesperson for the President of Artsakh declared that the airport had 'vanished into thin air,' an analysis of open sources and satellite images revealed that no significant damage was inflicted on the airport.

During the war, Azerbaijan also deployed and stationed one Buk missile launcher and transport-loading vehicle adjacent to Ganja Airport to enhance aerial security. Moreover, the Buk missile system was strategically positioned in a location intended for the S-125 missile system.

However, following missile strikes, the planes were moved to a deeper rear location at Gabala Airport, another civilian airport approximately 100 km away from the borders of Artsakh. Satellite imagery from mid-October confirms the presence of four parked fighters in the vicinity of the Gabala airport.

On October 22, Hikmet Hajiyev, an assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, announced a missile strike on Gabala. Perhaps following this statement, the Turkish F-16s transferred from Ganja Airport to Gabala were moved again, this time to a more secure rear position in southern Azerbaijan, away from the reach of Armenian missiles, to the civil-use Lenkoran Airport, where they remained until the end of hostilities.

The 'deployment history' of the Turkish Air Force's F-16s in Azerbaijan is perhaps encapsulated by a badge related to the 151st squadron that appeared on a Turkish site dealing with aviation insignia and accessories after the end of the war.

This badge depicts points on a map corresponding to the deployment locations of Turkish aircraft during the war: Ganja, Gabala, and Lenkoran. Moreover, the background of this image features Lenkoran Airport.

Thus, we can conclude that a group of F-16s from the Turkish Air Force squadrons was sent to Azerbaijan, including units specialized in suppressing air defenses. On the other hand, the tactics employed by Azerbaijan in the initial strikes against Armenian positions provide grounds for the following conclusions:

1. The likelihood is high that before and during the war, Turkish aircraft engaged in reconnaissance missions concerning the deployment, composition, structure, tactics, and 'soft spots' of Armenian air defenses.
2. It cannot be ruled out that these aircraft participated in missions aimed at suppressing Armenian air defenses during the war.
3. Finally, it can be suggested that one of the roles of Turkish F-16s in Azerbaijan was to ensure protection against potential interventions from the Armenian Armed Forces' Su-30SM fighters.