Turkish aircraft, personnel take part in wide-ranging NATO drills in Germany

NATO member Türkiye has dispatched several military aircraft to Germany, along with roughly 2,000 troops, to take part in the Western alliance’s largest annual military exercise.

Dubbed “Steadfast Dart 2026,” the 12-day drills kicked off on Sunday and are set to continue until February 20 under the direction of NATO’s Joint Force Command.

This year’s Steadfast Dart exercises bring together about 10,000 troops from 11 NATO member states, including Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Spain. More than 1,500 ground vehicles, 30 fighter aircraft, 15 helicopters and 15 warships are also set to take part in the wide-ranging war games.

During the drills, joint training will be carried out with personnel from allied nations, with the aim of enhancing interoperability between NATO-aligned militaries. The exercises are also intended to test NATO’s rapid-reaction capabilities in the event of an unforeseen crisis in Europe.

Deployments by air and sea

On Saturday, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced that several military aircraft had departed from Türkiye’s north-western Çorlu province and arrived at Germany’s Wunstorf Air Base to take part in the drills.

Last month, Turkish ground forces and armoured vehicles began departing by sea from Türkiye’s Tekirdag seaport and arrived at Germany’s Emden seaport late last week, according to the ministry.

The latest deployments mark the first time Türkiye has sent such a large military force to Northern Europe, a sign of the country’s growing weight within NATO’s defence architecture.

“Such capability to deploy a large force to Northern Europe, and conduct combat operations, once again demonstrates the strength of the Turkish Armed Forces within NATO,” Defence Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk told reporters last week.

Türkiye joined NATO in 1952, at the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It currently has the second-largest military in the 32-member alliance, after that of the U.S.

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