The flight path took the jets over the Gallipoli Historic Peninsula. Aircraft passed above the Martyrs’ Monument, Kilitbahir Castle, and the Çanakkale Bridge, according to an Anadolu Agency report published on May 16. The A400M, which took off from Çiğli 2nd Main Jet Base Command in İzmir, flew with its rear ramp open, allowing cameras to record the F-16s against the coastline below.
The salute was part of the broader EFES-2026 Combined Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise, which began its active phase on April 20 and is scheduled to run until May 21. The drills are conducted under the direction of the Aegean Army Command and span training areas in western Anatolia, the central Aegean region, İzmir Bay, and the Doğanbey range.
Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense has described EFES-2026 as one of the largest joint inter-service maneuvers held by the Turkish Armed Forces. More than 10,000 personnel are taking part, drawn from national units as well as observers, military elements, and representatives from approximately 45 to 50 countries. Among the participating nations are the United States, Azerbaijan, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Libya, Mongolia, Niger, Pakistan, and Zambia, according to ministry statements and reporting by Mezha.net and Ensonhaber.
The exercise involves a wide range of training activities. Amphibious assault drills, tank gunnery, air defense operations, mortar and rifle marksmanship, parachute jumps, and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) defense exercises have all been conducted. On May 12, the ministry shared images of a parachute flag-jump during which 53 flags of participating countries were displayed over the exercise area. Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Hungarian troops conducted parachute descents from various altitudes as part of that event, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed.
A separate salute flight took place on March 16, when four T-38M trainer jets from the 121st Jet Training Squadron, based at Çiğli in İzmir, flew over the Martyrs’ Monument. That overflight was recorded by the GÖKTÜRK-1 earth observation satellite, the Ministry of National Defense said in a social media post. The post included the lines: “Ey şehit oğlu şehit, isteme benden makber, Sana aguşunu açmış duruyor Peygamber” — verses from Turkish poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy.
The Çanakkale Martyrs’ Monument, known in Turkish as Şehitler Abidesi, stands on the Gallipoli Peninsula and commemorates Ottoman soldiers who died in the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. It remains a site of national remembrance. Military overflights and ceremonies at the monument are customary during major exercises or on significant anniversaries.
EFES-2026 has also drawn attention for the participation of eastern and western Libyan military elements in the same exercise for the first time, which the Turkish defense ministry described as a step supporting a unified Libyan armed forces. According to AA, 331 personnel from eastern Libya and 177 from western Libya took part, along with a Libyan Navy assault boat.
Domestic defense industry products featured prominently in the exercise. ASELSAN, a major Turkish defense company, displayed its KOCATEPE Battlefield Management System, KORKUT 35 low-altitude air defense system, and an electronic circuit-based improvised explosive device detection and neutralization system. The company described EFES-2026 as providing a realistic operational environment for testing and proving advanced technologies.
The exercise is expected to continue through the week, with the final phase set to include larger combined-arms scenarios and a distinguished visitors’ day.