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Multinational fighter jets filled the skies over central Turkey as Anatolian Eagle 2025 wrapped up at Konya’s 3rd Main Jet Base. The high-intensity NATO exercise brought together allies and partner air forces for advanced combat training shaped by lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The Anatolian Eagle exercise was designed to mimic high-intensity warfare. The exercise brought together over 1,200 participants from eight countries. The exercise included active participation from the air forces of Azerbaijan, Hungary, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, NATO AWACS, and host nation Turkey. Observer delegations came from Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

In total, 35 international aircraft and 40 Turkish aircraft were involved, supported by over 1,000 military personnel. Throughout the exercise, 415 sorties were flown, totaling 786 flight hours.

U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcons and Airmen from the 31st Fighter Wing, based in Aviano Air Base, Italy, arrived in Turkey to conduct the drills. The U.S. contingent emphasized coalition integration and real-world scenario readiness.

“This training is important to the U.S. because it brings us together with our partners from around the region,” said Maj. Andrew Gallion, the assistant director of operations for the U.S. Air Force 510th Fighter Squadron and Anatolian Eagle 25 project officer. “It allows our tactical operators to practice large force tactics they don’t often get to employ at home station.”

Allies 🇭🇺🇹🇷🇺🇸 @NATOAWACS & partners 🇦🇿🇪🇬🇯🇴🇶🇦participate in 🇹🇷 multinational exercise Anatolian Eagle 25

This live-fly exercise delivers advanced, high-tempo combat training designed to sharpen interoperability & reinforce NATO’s collective defence posture pic.twitter.com/EQw7DXeoYo

— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) July 3, 2025

“This training is designed to give aircrews maximum freedom to solve problems presented by tactical scenarios,” explained Maj. Ekrem Cekin is, squadron commander at the Turkish Air Force Anatolian Eagle Training Command. “Anatolian Eagle Trainings allow our partners the opportunity to compare and improve capabilities, tactics, and procedures in a safe and instructive way through a shared vision and operational synergy.”

NATO’s E-3A Sentry AWACS aircraft played a critical role, providing command and control (C2) to coordinate the hundreds of air movements during the exercise. Turkish Air Force’s E-7T Wedgetail system was also involved, furthering the emphasis on joint force synchronization and communications dominance in contested environments.

Turkish defense industry on display

A defining element of Anatolian Eagle 2025 was the clear and deliberate showcase of Turkey’s rapidly evolving defense capabilities. From drones and electronic warfare systems to mission analysis software, Turkish-developed systems were deployed extensively throughout the exercise.

Konya, which now houses one of only four Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) centers in the world, provided real-time tracking and analysis of 415 sorties flown during the drill, amounting to over 786 flight hours.

The Konya range’s operational airspace spans an impressive 300 x 400 km, covering the vast Tuz Golu Salt Lake, allowing for large-scale integrated exercises. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) provided low-RCS stealth target drones SIMSEK and SUPER SIMSEK, launched from ANKA-3 UAVs, to simulate cruise missile threats.

One of the ANKA-3 drones was forced to make an emergency landing during the exercise, which Turkish officials described as a “controlled” situation. These drones, capable of flying at speeds up to Mach 0.8, enabled critical training in early detection and engagement of stealthy aerial targets, an area of increasing concern in modern combat.

Turkish F-16s executed Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) missions using AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles to target simulated enemy air defenses on the range. These live-fire drills tested the full operational chain, from pilots and mission planners to ground-based control and logistics.

Manned-unmanned teaming and ACMI systems

The exercise gave particular emphasis to Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T), a doctrine that integrates UAVs and piloted aircraft in synchronized operations. The use of Baykar Technologies’ AKINCI UAVs, along with TAI’s ANKA-S and ANKA-3 platforms, illustrated Turkey’s growing commitment to this approach.

Moreover, the Turkish-developed SDT ACMI Pod was widely used. Mounted on Turkish and Jordanian F-16s, the pod supports real-time hit/miss notifications and simulates both air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon systems. Its adoption by other countries such as Pakistan and Jordan signals rising global interest in Turkey’s indigenous solutions. The pod’s range extends to 100 nautical miles in air-to-air and 200 in air-to-ground configurations.

Additional systems demonstrated included KARASOJ electronic warfare vehicles, GPS jamming systems, the STORM mission analysis suite, and the C2SE ACMI tracking software. These tools showcased a multi-domain approach to warfare simulation, one that mirrors NATO’s latest doctrine, emphasizing integration across air, land, sea, cyber, and space.

Strategic importance and NATO cohesion

Since its inception in 2001, Anatolian Eagle has evolved into one of NATO’s flagship tactical air exercises. Now in its 55th iteration, it has trained more than 41,000 personnel and 3,300 aircraft, with roughly 27,000 sorties flown over two decades.

This year’s drills come amid growing concern over regional instability and rising military activity in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the South Caucasus. Turkey’s central geography, robust military infrastructure, and increasing defense industrial autonomy make it a cornerstone of NATO’s southern flank.

Anatolian Eagle 2025 served as a proving ground not only for pilots and warfighters but also for next-generation technologies and multinational interoperability. By integrating high-end threat scenarios, indigenous systems, and coalition coordination, the exercise demonstrated how NATO and its partners are adapting to the demands of modern warfare.

From advanced SEAD missions to MUM-T doctrines and electronic warfare, the training was as much about strategy as it was about hardware. And with a geopolitical landscape in flux, exercises like Anatolian Eagle are increasingly crucial for ensuring allied forces can meet emerging threats with speed, precision, and unity.

🗓️ 23 Haziran – 4 Temmuz 2025
📍 Konya

3’üncü Ana Jet Üs Komutanlığımız ev sahipliğinde icra edilen Uluslararası Anadolu Kartalı-2025 Eğitimi, tüm katılımcı unsurların üstün katkısıyla başarıyla tamamlandı.

✈️ Gökyüzü, kartallarındır!

🗓 June 23 – July 4, 2025
📍 Konya… pic.twitter.com/kFeoSMi6DN

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 4, 2025