Türkiye confirms aircraft deployment to Somalia

Three Turkish F-16s fly over the Somali Ministry of Defence in Mogadishu during the Somali National Armed Forces' 66th annivesary on 12 April 2026. (Somali National Armed Forces Command)

Türkiye's deployment of F-16 multirole fighters to Somalia was confirmed on 12 April 2026 when three performed a flyby during a parade marking the 66th anniversary of the Somali National Armed Forces.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MND) said Turkish T129 attack helicopters and AS-532 Cougar transport helicopters also participated in the event, although these were not seen in coverage from Somalia National Television.

The MND released a video showing two F-16s flying over the Turkish oil drilling ship Çağrı Bey near Mogadishu's port. It also showed two T129s and an AS-532 flying over a coastal town that could be identified as Warsheikh, about 60 km northeast of Mogadishu.

The MND announced on 10 April that Çağrı Bey had arrived in Mogadishu. It previously said the Turkish naval task group deployed to Somalia includes the frigate TCG Gaziantep , corvette TCG Bartın , landing ship tank TCG Bayraktar , and support tanker TGC Yzb. Güngör Durmuş .

This is the first time the MND has acknowledged the deployment of Turkish military aircraft to Somalia. The presence of T129s was likely confirmed in June 2025, when a social media video appeared to show one flying at the facility that Türkiye built (Turkish-Somali Task Force Command, or Camp TURKSOM) to train Somali soldiers on the south side of Mogadishu. Later that month an AS-532 was seen in a social media video, after likely being unloaded at Mogadishu's international airport from a Qatari air force C-17 transport aircraft.