Rear Admiral Aktürk made statements on the activities of the Turkish Armed Forces at a weekly press briefing held in Kayseri to mark the 100th anniversary of the 2nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate.
Aktürk said the 2nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate, founded in 1926 as Türkiye’s first aircraft factory, has an important place in the development of the Turkish aviation industry with its nearly century-long history. He said the facility carries out maintenance, repair, modernisation and modification activities for A400M, C-130, CN-235, KC-135R, SF-260D and T-41D aircraft, as well as aircraft firefighting, aircraft towing, bomb-loading and aircraft-arresting systems.
Aktürk said the factory had produced the first domestically developed aircraft towing vehicle, “Rahvan,” and the bomb-loading vehicle, “Seyit Onbaşı.” He added that the facility is the only Parachute Production Centre in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces and serves as the Air Force Command’s manufacturing centre with the highest capacity.
Counterterrorism and border security
Aktürk announced that one PKK member had surrendered over the past week. He said 712 people attempting to cross the borders illegally had been caught, adding that one of them was a member of a terrorist organisation.
Aktürk said the number of people caught attempting to cross the borders illegally since January 1 had reached 12,706. Together with the 1,149 people whose crossings were prevented, the number of people prevented from crossing the borders during the year had reached 52,487, he said. He added that approximately 413 kilograms of narcotics had been seized during search operations along the Van border line.
HÜRKUŞ-II and defence industry deliveries
Aktürk said efforts to strengthen the Turkish Armed Forces with domestically developed defence industry products were continuing. He said acceptance procedures for the HÜRKUŞ-II New Generation Basic Training Aircraft had been carried out on September 28 at TUSAŞ’s facilities in Kahramankazan.
Aktürk said the Land Forces Command had completed the inspection and acceptance procedures for various quantities of Wheeled Weapon-Carrying Vehicles. He added that the Machine and Chemical Industry had delivered 81-millimetre mortar ammunition and 155-millimetre concrete-piercing artillery fuzes to the Land Forces Command, while Azak warheads had been delivered to defence industry stakeholders.
Aktürk said a memorandum of understanding had been signed on September 30 between MKA, the Azerbaijani company of the Machine and Chemical Industry, and Azerbaijani company Miras for the modernisation of BMP-1 armoured combat vehicles and joint defence industry projects. He added that the first modernised BMP-1T “Turan” vehicle had been unveiled at ADEX 2026.
Reaction to Israeli raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque
Aktürk said they rejected raids carried out by Israeli extremist groups on Al-Aqsa Mosque. He said violations and provocations targeting holy sites were increasing tensions in the region and renewed his call for the international community to take deterrent measures in response to developments in Palestine.
Confidence-building measures and military exercises
Aktürk said the National Defence University would visit Greece’s National Defence College in Athens from October 7 to 9 under the Türkiye-Greece Confidence-Building Measures Implementation Plan. He also announced that the Turkish Armed Forces’ training and exercise activities were continuing.
Aktürk said the Şehit Hava Uçak Bakım Astsubay Başçavuş Hamdi Armağan Kaplan Yıldırım Mobilisation Exercise would be held in Amasya from October 3 to 16, the Nusret-2026 exercise in İzmir Bay, and the Şehit Yüzbaşı Cengiz Topel Eastern Mediterranean Storm exercise in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Aktürk said a Free Fire Activity would be held in Polatlı from October 8 to 15. He added that Türkiye would also participate in various exercises to be held in Romania, Hungary, Italy, Norway and the Republic of Korea from October 2 to 25. These activities include Valiant Strike, Carpathian Arc Collective Defence, Black Swan Special Forces, Mare Aperto Amphibious Operations, Steadfast Duel Regional Plans Testing and Mine Warfare exercises.
Naval activities and demonstration flights
Aktürk said TCG Sancaktar would make a port visit to Egypt from October 2 to 4 and to Çanakkale from October 6 to 8 as part of the Open Sea Training of students at the National Defence University Naval Petty Officer Vocational School. He added that naval assets from various countries would also take part in activities in Türkiye.
Aktürk said the French Navy vessel Surcouf would visit Marmaris from October 2 to 7, while the Spanish Navy vessel Turia, the Italian Navy vessel Numana and the German Navy vessel Fulda would visit İzmir from October 3 to 5 and from October 6 to 8. He announced that TCG Akçay would make a port visit to Varna on October 7.
Aktürk said TCG Akçakoca would join Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 from October 2 to 24. He added that the Turkish Stars would conduct a demonstration flight in Malatya on October 2, while SOLOTÜRK would perform one in Diyarbakır on October 3.
Personnel recruitment and training applications
Aktürk said personnel and military student recruitment activities were continuing as planned. He said applications for the recruitment of candidates for commissioned officers in the Turkish Armed Forces’ 2026 Legal Branch would close on October 7. He added that preliminary applications for the employment of contracted non-commissioned officers and privates in public institutions could be submitted through e-Government between September 22 and October 12.
Statements on the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus
In response to questions about the route of the electricity cable between Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, the Ministry of National Defence said cable-laying, pipeline-laying or scientific research activities to be carried out on Türkiye’s continental shelf must be coordinated in advance. The ministry said unauthorised activities would not be permitted under the maritime jurisdiction delimitation agreements Türkiye signed with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Libya in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The ministry said it was closely monitoring the military parade held in the Greek Cypriot administration, adding that military build-up activities and military cooperation developed with third countries were negatively affecting the security environment on the island. It said the necessary measures would be taken in cooperation with the authorities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to protect the security, peace and welfare of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Mecca Defence Alliance and security cooperation with Iraq
The Ministry of National Defence announced that the chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye had met in Riyadh on September 25, 2026, within the framework of the Mecca Defence Alliance. The meeting discussed strengthening military coordination, capability integration, deterrence and collective defence.
In a statement on the handover of the Başika-Zilkan base to Iraqi authorities, the ministry said the base had been used since 2015 at the request of the Iraqi authorities as part of the fight against Daesh. It said the handover of the base to Iraqi authorities in stages, under the agreed mechanism and timetable, had been decided in line with progress in the Iraqi central government’s security arrangements in Sinjar.
The statement said Türkiye would continue supporting the Iraqi Armed Forces in increasing military capacity, transferring experience and expertise in the fight against terrorism, military training and defence industry cooperation.
Procurement process for C-130J aircraft
In a statement on 12 C-130J aircraft planned to be procured from the United Kingdom, the ministry said the aircraft would be brought to Türkiye according to the determined schedule after ongoing maintenance activities in the United Kingdom. The first two aircraft are planned to be delivered in December.
The statement also said personnel training was continuing. The training of six pilots and six technicians was continuing in the United States, while the training of 29 maintenance personnel was continuing in the United Kingdom according to the planned schedule.
