The Italian website, ItamilRadar, which specializes in monitoring military aircraft, reported that a Turkish military aircraft conducted a surveillance mission over the central Mediterranean, between Libya and Malta on Wednesday.
A Turkish Air Force Boeing E-T “Peace Eagle”(reg. 13-004 – callsign TURAF42) took off from Konya AB, central Turkey. It orbited for several hours between Libya and Malta, before returning to Turkey, according to Itamilradar.
The website added that it is not known whether the aircraft operated as part of a NATO mission (Sea Guardian) or a domestic one.
It noted that the aircraft uses the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar. The L band (1 to 2 GHz) electronically scanned AEW and surveillance radar is located on a dorsal fin on top of the fuselage, dubbed the “top hat”, and is designed for minimal aerodynamic effect. The Peace Eagle can track targets over 600km
Turkey is believed to control several military bases in western Libya, most notably the Al-Watiya airbase. Ankara also recruited more than 18,000 Syrian mercenaries, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
In September, a Turkish military Airbus A400M arrived at Al-Rutba Air Base. Another C130 aircraft also landed at Al-Watiya, coming from a Turkish military base, according to data published by Flightradar24.
Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation in November 2019, with Libya’s former Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Fayez Al-Sarraj.
In June, the Turkish Parliament approved a motion to extend the mission of the Turkish troops in Libya for additional 18 months.
Libya has been locked in a political stalemate since late 2021, when scheduled elections were postponed, due to disputes over the laws and candidates. The eastern-based Parliament, withdrew support from the interim government.
Peacemaking efforts since then have focused on getting the Parliament and a rival legislative body to agree on a constitutional basis for elections, and voting laws.
