AKINCI's Detection Of Helicopter Location Shared With Iranian Authorities

(MENAFN- AzerNews) By News Centre

"With the approval of our Presidency and the consent of Iranianofficials, the unarmed AKINCI UAV took off from batman at 23:30 andentered Iranian airspace at 00:12. Visual contact was establishedat 02:36 during the scans conducted in the relevant area, and thedetected heat source was shared with Iranian authorities."

Azernews reports that the statement was made bythe Minister of National Defence of Turkiye, Yashar Guler.

Minister Guler conducted a video conference meeting with thecommanders of domestic and cross-border units.
In the meeting attended by Minister Guler from the Ministry ofNational Defence, Chief of the General Staff General Metin Gurak,Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Ercument Tatlıoghlu, Chief of AirForce Staff General Ziya Cemal Kadıoghlu, and Deputy MinistersShuay Alpay and Alpaslan Kavaklıoghlu were also present. MinisterGuler received information about ongoing activities, especially inthe fight against terrorism, and gave instructions for futurework.

Minister Guler expressed condolences to Iranian politicians,bureaucrats, and citizens, including Iranian President IbrahimRaisi and Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian, who lost theirlives in the accident.

I congratulate all my comrades

Guler stated that they started preparations upon receiving therequest for a night vision capable helicopter from Iranianauthorities after learning about the accident. "In this context, itwas instructed to prepare the AKINCI UAV, which was considered morebeneficial under the current conditions by us. With the approval ofour Presidency and the consent of Iranian officials, the unarmedAKINCI UAV took off from Batman at 23:30 and entered Iranianairspace at 00:12. Visual contact was established at 02:36 duringthe scans conducted in the relevant area, and the detected heatsource was shared with Iranian authorities. At 05:50, informationwas received that the wreckage was reached as a result of thecontact established with Iranian officials. Our AKINCI UAV, whichsuccessfully completed its mission, entered Turkish airspace at06:45. During this process, I congratulate all my comrades whoacted in close cooperation and coordination with our Presidency,Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Iranian authorities, showing arapid reaction and successfully fulfilling their duties; I kisseach one of them separately from their eyes," he said.

We saw that the effectiveness of our army has furtherincreased

Minister Guler stated that with its glorious history of over2,200 years, the Turkish Armed Forces are one of the strongestarmies in the world with its discipline, capability, courage, andcompassion. "Our determination in the fight against terrorism,within the framework of our new security concept, is to eliminatethreats at their source before they reach our borders, and tocontinue our fight against all kinds of threats and dangers,especially terrorist organizations such as PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG, DAESH,and FETO, with increasing pressure and intensity. In addition, withthe increasing number and scope of exercises every year, we aim toincrease peace and stability in our region and especially with ourneighbours, and to develop mutual respect, friendship, andcooperation. We have seen that the effectiveness of our brave armyin the air and at sea has further increased with comprehensiveexercises such as the International Anatolian Phoenix and SeawolfExercises, which we have conducted in recent times. TheEphesus-2024 Exercise, which started on April 25, 2024, is beingconducted comprehensively. The Ephesus Exercise is being conductedwith a professional understanding that can respond to currentevents, crisis scenarios that may occur globally and regionally, byreflecting the multi-dimensional and complex security environmentthat has become beyond the classic exercise understanding into theexercise scenario," he said.

50 countries and more than 11,000 personnel willparticipate

Reminding that 37 countries participated in the exercise twoyears ago, Guler said, "This year, it is planned that 50 countriesand approximately 11,000 personnel will participate in theexercise, and the distinguished observer day will be held on May29-30 with the participation of our esteemed President. I sincerelybelieve that, as in the past, our Turkish Armed Forces willdemonstrate superior performance in the Ephesus Exercise, which isone of the most important and appropriate platforms to demonstratethe capabilities and capabilities of our Armed Forces to thedomestic and foreign public. On this occasion, I wish success toall my colleagues in arms and duty, and I kiss each of you fromyour eyes," he said.

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