IRIA News

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Turkiye and Egypt staged their first joint naval exercise in more than a decade, marking a development in cautious rapprochement between the two regional powers after years of political hostility. The exercise, dubbed Sea of Friendship-2025 (Bahr El Sadaka), took place in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to the Turkish Navy, the drills were observed by Turkish Fleet Commander Adm. Kadir Yildiz and Egyptian Navy Chief of Staff Rear Adm Mohamed Hassan El-Sherbeny. The last time the two countries held such an exercise was in 2012, before relations deteriorated following the overthrow of Egypt’s government in 2013, which froze defense cooperation for more than a decade.

The naval drill marks a major milestone in the normalization of ties. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s February 2024 visit to Cairo, his first in 12 years, paved the way for renewed dialogue in politics, economics, and security. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has since described Turkish–Egyptian relations as being at their “best levels in modern history.”

Retired Rear Adm. Cem Okyay described the resumption of naval drills as both symbolic and practical. He noted that while Turkish and Egyptian ships have long operated in the same waters, exercising together after a 13-year hiatus demonstrates “a new diplomatic opening spearheaded by the navies themselves.”

Türkiye'nin ev sahipliğinde icra edilen Dostluk Denizi-2025 (Bahr El Sadaka) Tatbikatı kapsamında, 🇹🇷Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri ve 🇪🇬Mısır Deniz Kuvvetleri unsurlarıyla ortak eğitimler başarıyla tamamlandı.

Tatbikat, Türkiye-Mısır ikili ilişkilerinin geliştirilmesi ve karşılıklı… pic.twitter.com/XAYUl0jDQc

— MaviVatan.net (@mavivatannet) September 25, 2025

Okyay also pointed to broader opportunities in defense industry cooperation, modernization projects, and humanitarian missions, stressing that the rapprochement extends beyond a single event.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said the drill aimed to “develop bilateral relations and enhance joint interoperability.” Turkiye participated with the frigates TCG Orucreis and TCG Gediz, the fast attack boats TCG Imbat and TCG Bora, the submarine TCG Gur, and two F-16 fighter jets. Egypt contributed naval units, including the ENS Tahya Misr and ENS Fouad Zekry, which visited the Turkish port of Aksaz during the exercise.

A “Distinguished Observers’ Day” was held on September 25, at the start of the drills, and was attended by Turkish Naval Forces Commander Adm. Ercument Tatlioglu and his Egyptian counterpart.

Defense Industry Cooperation

Military cooperation between the two countries has extended beyond naval maneuvers. In August, Turkey’s Havelsan defense technology company and Egypt’s Arab Organization for Industrialization signed an agreement for the joint production of vertical take-off and landing drones (VTOL-UAVs).

Turkiye’s ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu, called the agreement a “milestone” and a “new chapter in enhancing cooperation.”

The resumption of drills brings together two of the region’s strongest naval powers. According to the global ranking site WDMMW, Turkey’s navy is ranked 10th in the world, while Egypt’s is ranked 13th, making it the most powerful navy in the Arab world.

The Egyptian Navy

Egypt’s navy is tasked with defending over 2,000 kilometers of coastline along the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as securing the vital Suez Canal. Its arsenal consists of more than 100 platforms, including two helicopter carriers, eight submarines, 13 frigates, seven corvettes, and 48 patrol vessels.

Key assets include two French-built Mistral-class helicopter carriers, ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser and ENS Anwar El Sadat. Each ship can carry up to 16 heavy attack helicopters or 35 light helicopters, in addition to dozens of combat vehicles. Egypt’s frigate fleet features advanced Italian and German designs, such as the Bergamini-class and the stealth Meko A-200, the latter also being locally manufactured in Alexandria.

Egypt’s underwater capabilities rely on German-built Type 209/1400 submarines, valued for their stealth and versatility. These vessels are equipped with eight torpedo tubes capable of launching torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and deploying naval mines.

🗓️ 22-26 Eylül 2025

Dostluk Denizi’nde iş birliği, Mavi Vatan’da güç birliği! 🇹🇷🤝🇪🇬

Türkiye-Mısır Dostluk Denizi-2025 (Bahr El Sadaka) Tatbikatı, Aksaz/Muğla’da icra ediliyor.

Tatbikat, iki ülke arasındaki dostluğu ve karşılıklı çalışabilirliği güçlendirmeyi hedefliyor.… pic.twitter.com/MxKusITC2V

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) September 22, 2025

The Turkish Navy

Turkiye’s naval modernization is closely tied to its domestic defense industry. Ankara currently fields 90 naval platforms, including one helicopter carrier, 13 submarines, 17 frigates, and 34 patrol vessels. Its flagship is the TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault ship commissioned in 2023 that doubles as a drone carrier.

The backbone of Turkiye’s modernization drive is the MILGEM warship program, which recently produced the TCG Istanbul, a domestically built frigate equipped with Turkish-made weapons and systems such as the Atmaca anti-ship missile and the MİDLAS vertical launching system.

Turkiye’s submarine fleet is also being upgraded with six new Reis-class submarines, featuring air-independent propulsion systems. The first of these, the Piri Reis, entered service in 2024. By 2029, all six are expected to be operational, armed with domestically produced Akya torpedoes and Atmaca missiles.

Strategic Implications

While the naval drills underline a significant thaw in relations, analysts caution that Turkiye and Egypt’s broader strategic interests remain divergent, particularly in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean’s energy disputes. Nonetheless, the exercise signals that both countries are willing to manage differences through dialogue and limited cooperation.

By reopening channels for defense collaboration and pursuing joint industrial projects, Ankara and Cairo are taking steps to ensure that this latest phase of engagement is more durable than past attempts. Whether this momentum leads to lasting alignment or remains a tactical rapprochement will depend on how both capitals navigate their competing regional agendas.