The Turkish Air Force (THK) will train Libyan fighter pilots under a new military agreement signed in İstanbul on Tuesday. 

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met with Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, prime minister and defense minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, who visited Turkey for the SAHA EXPO Defence & Aerospace Exhibition. According to the agreement signed by the two, Turkey will help increase the efficiency of the Libyan Air Force.

The training of Libyan pilots can be seen as the next step after Turkey recently sold the Hürkuş (Free Bird), a tandem two-seat, low-wing, single-engine, turboprop aircraft developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to Libya.

The THK announced in May that the Hürkuş-B training aircraft would be exported to Libya and that the final contract was signed by the Libyan Air Force Command and TAI.

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According to reports in the Turkish media, six of the 14 training aircraft in TAI’s inventory were to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force, and six to Niger and Libya. It is still not clear exactly how many aircraft will be sent to Libya.

Libya and Turkey are actually two countries with very different fighter jets. While Turkey has US-made F-16s and F-4s in its inventory, Libya has Russian Mig and Su aircraft and two French Mirage jets.

Read more: Nordic Monitor