MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2020) The United Kingdom's Air Chief Mike Wigston has visited the Konya base in central Turkey, commending the "deepening" bilateral relationship and "impressive integration" with the NATO ally.
The visit came as Turkish F-16s and the Royal Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoon jets conducted their first joint training flight on Wednesday.
"@ChiefofAirStaff visited [IX (Bomber) Squadron] during their deployment to Konya Air Base in Turkey. Meeting with senior commanders and the UK Typhoon Detachment, he visited their Weapons and Tactics Facility and members of the Turkish Air Force," the Royal Air Force tweeted late on Wednesday.
Wigston also took to Twitter to praise "impressive integration with our NATO partners" during the training flight.
"[IX (Bomber) Squadron] deepening the bilateral relationship and giving the Turkish F16s a good workout! @RoyalAirForce #WeAreNATO," he added.
In addition, the air chief lauded British multinational defense company BAE Systems' joint work with Turkish Aerospace in the development of Turkey's indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, calling it "a national project the nation can be proud of, symbolic of the strength of the UK and Turkey bilateral relationship."
