Erdogan projects power into Africa: Turkey deploys F-16s to Somalia
Turkey has sent US-made F-16 Viper fighter jets to Somalia, marking a major expansion of its military reach beyond West Asia. The move comes as Ankara already operates its largest overseas military training base in Mogadishu.
The Turkish Air Force is one of the largest in the world, operating about 1,097 military aircraft including roughly 304 combat jets and around 270 F-16 fighters forming the backbone of its air power. Globally, Turkey’s air force ranks about #11 in overall air power capability.
Analysts say the deployment signals Turkey’s growing strategic ambitions in the Horn of Africa, where it has been building deep ties through security cooperation, infrastructure projects and humanitarian aid. Somalia sits along key Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade routes, making the region geopolitically sensitive.
The F-16 presence strengthens Somalia’s security partnership with Ankara, but also shows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly assertive foreign policy and willingness to project military influence far beyond Turkey’s borders.
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Erdogan projects power into Africa: Turkey deploys F-16s to Somalia
