However, Turkey doesn’t seem to have deployed any air defenses to protect these jets while they are on the ground. This method of satellite acquisition is time consuming, takes some level of effort, and can be expensive and limiting. These aren’t hypothetical situations – they actually happen. the 'TurAz Qartali-2020' joint exercises, during the official ceremony in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 31, 2020. Relying entirely on Azerbaijan’s air defenses for protection would likely prove quite risky. This is one of the reasons why the military continues to rely on X-band satellites and frequencies for their communications requirements – they’re considered more effective and reliable. GovSat-1 is effectively a military AND government satellite, built using a rapid commercial approach whilst maintaining the robust requirements of a military satellite. A terminal that has undergone rigorous testing, trials and vetting and that the operator has been trained on to ensure optimal performance. By having a commercial option like GovSat-1 that utilizes military technology, the DoD can increase the resiliency of their satellite networks and give the warfighter a way to seamlessly meet their satellite requirements without changing terminals or losing the safety and security of operating in X-band. (Photo by Azerbaijani Defense Ministry / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images), EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, covert deployment of unmarked MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, extending the length of the base’s runway. That exercise was scheduled to end on Aug. 10. To learn more about GovSat-1 and its benefits to the warfighter, click HERE. There are numerous instances where users with an X-band or a military Ka-band terminal operating on WGS could suddenly find themselves without satellite communications. What is clear is that Turkey seems to have big plans for al-Watiya, which its GNA ally captured from the LNA in an offensive backed by Turkish drone strikes back in May.

Recent Turkish military activity in airfields in Azerbaijan and Libya raises questions about Ankara’s goals in those countries and the conflicts in which they are presently mired. (Photo by Azerbaijani Defense Ministry / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images). How far Turkey wants to push ahead with its military build-up in Libya, which decisively helped turn the tables in the conflict in favor of the GNA, remains unclear. An unnamed source cited by Middle East Eye claimed that the F-16s were “there as a deterrent against any Armenian attacks on civilian populations and military installations within Azerbaijan.”. If this was indeed the case, then their presence might have been an attempt to replicate Russia’s covert deployment of unmarked MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets and Su-24 Fencer bombers to Libya’s Al-Jufra airbase, which is controlled by its Libyan National Army (LNA) ally, in May.

Satellite photos taken on Oct. 3 showed two F-16 fighter jets parked at Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan. “The jets haven’t participated in Azerbaijani operations in the Karabakh region nor they have shot down an Armenian jet as Yerevan claimed,” the source said. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. Writing in the pro-government Sabah newspaper back in June, Turkish columnist Okan Müderrisoğlu speculated that Turkey might even deploy F-16s to western Libya. Turkey may well have kept those F-16s there, as the Middle East Eye sources claim, to deter Armenian attacks against Ganja. Recent Turkish military activity in airfields in Azerbaijan and Libya raises questions about Ankara’s goals in those countries and the conflicts in which they are presently mired.

F-16 aircraft of the Turkish Air Force are seen after they arrived in Azerbaijan to participate in ... [+] the 'TurAz Qartali-2020' joint exercises, during the official ceremony in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 31, 2020.

Both Egypt and the UAE are major supporters of the LNA and staunchly oppose Turkey’s military presence in Libya. It also remains to be seen how directly involved Turkey is willing to get in this conflict militarily. And that’s exactly what is possible with GovSat-1.

After all, that Russian deployment was clearly made to warn the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces not to advance on Al-Jufra and the town of Sirte, which was their stated goal. The X-band and military Ka terminals that military personnel are deployed with are certified and registered military satellite terminals that have been rigorously tested and vetted to ensure that they work with WGS. Increased mobility and bandwidth dominate discussion at SATELLITE 2015, The case for commercial SatCom in today’s military, Latency – the other enemy on the battlefield, Military discusses defending SATCOM at Space Symposium, Winston Beauchamp on the Need to Increase Resiliency and Regain Advantage in Space, DoD Official Challenges Satcom Providers to Get Creative, New transportable TPS solution offers C3ISR capability and connectivity anywhere, Conversations at Satellite 2015 show need for acquisition reform in the federal government, Congressman Rob Wittman discusses role of COMSATCOM in government at visit to SES GS HQ, Exploring why the Military Eschews a Cost Saving Satellite Solution, SATCOM connects first responders at every step, Embracing the government’s need for speed – how accelerators deliver the throughput and capacity that the military and first responders need, Why NASA is Upping its TEMPO as a Hosted Payload – a Q&A with NASA’s David Beals, How COMSATCOM Enables The Next Generation of Firefighting, In disaster response, COMSATCOM provides backup to emergency personnel and military, they’re considered more effective and reliable, PODCAST: Commercial Connectivity Critical for Communications at the Arctic Circle, The role HTS satellites can play in wildfire and hurricane recovery, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force evaluate revolutionary satellite technologies that will enable true comms on the move, EM&C and FMI – taking small steps to an integrated satellite architecture, Info Sheet: O3b mPOWER for U.S. Government Missions, White Paper: High Throughput on the High Seas, Virtual Sandtable Technology Improves Visualization and Mission Success, Overcoming the largest threats to military satellites and increasing resiliency. This means that only one terminal needs to be carried.

“Nobody should be surprised if Turkish F-16s and attack helicopters are seen at the military bases in this country,” he wrote. GovSat-1 is a commercially owned and operated satellite that gives the military the security and reliability of MILSATCOM with the availability, innovative technology, and accessibility of COMSATCOM. Click the photo above to learn more about GovSat-1. It provides both X and mil-Ka frequency bands and features many of the advanced capabilities and securities that are found in today’s more advanced communications satellites. I write mostly about Middle East affairs, politics and history. The al-Watiya strike was most likely a warning by the LNA’s foreign backers that they won’t tolerate a larger and more advanced Turkish military presence in the country. The images also showed what looked like a CN-235 transport plane that the Times concluded also may belong to Turkey. And the ability to do so with the same terminal could be invaluable.

In July, after the al-Watiya strike, another Sabah columnist, Hasan Basri Yalçın, even argued that Turkey needed to deploy F-16s to Libya to protect the GNA’s gains in the conflict and fend off any potential Egyptian military intervention. Ankara may have contemplated establishing such a presence.

Unfortunately, with the vast majority of commercial satellites operating at Ku-, C-, or commercial Ka-bands, these military terminals can’t be used on the vast majority of commercial satellites. You may opt-out by. What those F-16s were doing in Ganja remains unclear. The extent of Turkey’s military involvement in this conflict is unclear.

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