Turkish pilots receive praise in NATO's biggest-ever air drills

In the largest deployed air exercise in NATO history, American and German aviators praised the Turkish F-16 fighter jet pilots who made nearly 40 sorties during the exercise in Germany.

The air exercise was held on June 12-23 under the leadership of Germany, carried out not only in Germany but also in Eastern Europe, the Baltic Region and the North Sea for about two weeks. The area where Turkish F-16 jets were deployed during the exercise was Schleswig/Jagel Air Base in the north, one of the main air bases designated by Germany in Air Defender, Jagel, Germany, June 24, 2023.

A combination of photos shows badges of staff members in a NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, which participates in the German-led multinational exercise Air Defender 23, during a flight over northern Germany from the military base of Geilenkirchen, western Germany, on June 20, 2023.

A Turkish F-16 and crew.

More than 250 aircraft and 10,000 aviator personnel from 23 NATO allies and two non-NATO countries, Sweden and Japan, took part in the exercise, which ended today. The main elements of the exercise were the German Air Force and 110 aircraft from the United States.

A Turkish Air Forces Command F-16 and crew.

American planes took off from 35 different U.S. states and brought more than 380 tons of military supplies to Europe.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter takes off on the sidelines of a press event marking the conclusion of the Air Defender 2023 air force maneuver at Jagel Air Base in Jagel, Germany, June 23, 2023.

A German Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon.

As part of the exercise, refueling was carried out from an A400M tanker aircraft to the Tornado warplanes of the German Luftwaffe.

An Airbus A400M transport plane of the German Air Force Luftwaffe painted in the colors of the German flag and decorated with the lettering "Air Defender 2023" flies over the military base of Kaufbeuren, southern Germany, June 17, 2023.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Air Defender 2023, the largest air exercise in NATO history.

A NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Air Defender 23 is the largest air force deployment exercise in NATO's history