Defence Redefined

Published on 31/05/2021 at 17:03

The illegal military airport in occupied Lefkoniko, which was used for a short time after the Turkish invasion and later remained inactive, will be converted into a permanent air base where Turkish unarmed and Unmanned combat aerial vehicle will be stationed. The air base will be inaugurated by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan when he visits the occupied areas on July 20th.

Turkish media broadcast the news of the Turkish CNNTürk the day before yesterday. According to this, the new Turkish base in the Mediterranean will operate on July 20, with the participation of the Turkish President in the events to be held for the 47th anniversary of the Turkish invasion.

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According to the Press and Information Office, the report states that Turkey’s decision to establish a base with unarmed and Unmanned combat aerial vehicle in Cyprus, which occupies a dominant position in the Eastern Mediterranean, was taken immediately after the maritime jurisdictional agreement with Libya, two years ago, recalling that on December 16, 2019, the unarmed and Unmanned combat aerial vehicle  of type “Kalkan Bayraktar TB-2” landed at the military base in occupied Lefkoniko, after a five-hour flight which took off from Dalaman base in Turkey.

Meanwhile, the combat unmanned aerial vehicles  patrolling the Eastern Mediterranean landed at Lefkoniko, while the Dalaman base was used as their permanent base. The Turkish combat unmanned aerial vehicles used the military base in Lefkoniko as a “landing point”.

It is recalled that President Erdogan has stated that there will be a permanent base which will station unarmed and Unmanned combat aerial vehicle. He also said he would give a new name to the military airport in occupied Lefkoniko. It was noted that the name of the illegal airport in Tympu, Ercan, will be changed to the name of Turkish Cypriot leader Fazil Kuciuk (this was ultimately not accepted due to reactions), while the military base in Lefkoniko will be named after the 1974 pilot witness, Squadron Leader Fehmi Ercan.

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The publication notes that the modernization works of the airport in Lefkoniko commenced two years ago and the existing structures of the base must be refurbished, while storage spaces for arsenal and weapon systems must be built. Also, a maintenance and repair center must be installed, so that it becomes a permanent base of equipped and unequipped unmanned aerial vehicles.

Because the control system for equipped and unequipped unmanned aerial vehicles is mobile, the airport control tower does not need to be activated.

Military experts stressed that Lefkoniko, built as an airport to NATO standards so that Turkish fighter jets could land after 1974, could soon be converted to an F-16 base with some maintenance and refurbishment work. The discovery of energy sources in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the efforts of the Greek and Greek Cypriot duo to exclude Turkey from the regional alliance, turned Cyprus into a more important strategic island, the publication claims.

It is also reported that after converting the Lefkoniko air base into an operational base for equipped and unequipped unmanned aerial vehicles, Turkey will establish a permanent naval base for its warships in occupied Cyprus. To date, Turkish warships are docked in occupied Famagusta, but the construction of a modern naval base east of occupied Famagusta has been on the agenda several times.

Also read: National Interest | Measures against Turkey and the resolution of the pseudo-state by researcher Michael Rubin