Multiple Turkish Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft undertook repeated sorties between Turkey and Pakistan on August 19-21. They landed at two major Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bases – Nur Khan near Rawalpindi and Masroor in Karachi – on these dates, Indian intelligence sources told India Today.
“Frequency and pattern of flights taken by Turkish aircraft seemed unusual to us. It was nothing but a large number of sorties conducted in 60 hours or so. Regional Intelligence Agencies started paying attention to this very large operation,” said the source.
Sources in the intelligence community believe the Turkish aircraft which arrived in Pakistan over the weekend could have brought large quantities of UAVs and their ground control systems. It is also possible, the sources said, that Pakistan had also been delivered an HQ-series air defense system as well.
Turkey has become one of Pakistan’s main suppliers of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over the last few years. The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) tactical drone, designed and produced by Turkey’s leading defense contractor Baykar Defense. The TB2 has been featured in several recent conflicts and is currently considered one of the most advanced armed UAVs in the world.
It is known that Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir is behind the purchase. Turkey is buying and selling arms through a defense cooperation agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, sources added.
The military equipment shipment is taking place as Pakistan has picked up pace of expanding its drone inventory and air defense capabilities. The development comes days after India had carried out “Operation Sindoor” in May 2025.
The deliveries reflect the strengthening of defense cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan within the scope of the partnership that the two countries maintain outside of the traditional Western-oriented defense industry. Pakistan is a major market for Turkey’s arms exports, and Ankara considers Islamabad as one of the most important strategic partners in the Islamic world.
The pace and volume of these deliveries, therefore, signifies an enhanced capability to operate UAVs and to defend against air threats for Pakistan in the short to medium term, observers note.
