Turkish Navy holds large-scale drill with 125 vessels

ANTALYA

The Turkish Navy has launched a large-scale military exercise involving 125 warships and 18,000 personnel, aimed at enhancing the deterrence capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces across surrounding seas.

Spanning a vast operational area covering the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, the exercise, which began on June 4, is set to feature several historic firsts for the navy.

During the Observer Day, scheduled to take place off the coast of the Mediterranean province of Antalya, eight guided missiles and one heavyweight torpedo will be fired in succession for the first time in Turkish naval history.

In the highly realistic live-fire drills, four decommissioned warships will serve as actual targets.

According to Rear Admiral Alper Doğukanlı, the head of naval operations, the exercise began with live-fire weapons training between June 4 and 6 and will continue uninterrupted until June 10 with scenarios simulating a complex, multi-threat operational environment.

In addition to the Navy, units from the Land Forces, Air Force, Coast Guard Command and Gendarmerie General Command will provide direct support, testing inter-service coordination and joint operational capabilities at the highest level.

The exercise, which will conclude on June 14, will culminate in a major public outreach event. A total of 32 warships will dock at 18 ports across the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean and Turkish Cyprus, where they will be opened to visitors.