Between November 24 and December 4, 2025, Türkiye took part in the NATO exercise Poggio Dart 25 (PODA25), an activity aimed at assessing interoperability and the level of operational readiness of allied air forces, held in Italy. The exercise was organized by the Italian Air Force and conducted by the Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACCC) at Poggio Renatico.
Turkey played a prominent role in this edition of the exercise. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the country deployed three F-4E/2020 aircraft along with a contingent of 51 personnel from the 1st Main Jet Base Command to operate from Istrana Air Base. The participation sought to showcase “the capabilities, operational proficiency, and level of training of the Turkish Air Force in an international and multinational environment,” as stated by the Ministry in its official release.
During the exercise, Turkish aircraft operated alongside units from Italy, the United States, and NATO airborne early warning platforms. In addition to Turkey’s F-4E/2020s, PODA25 involved Italian assets such as F-35s, EF-2000 Typhoons, Tornado aircraft, C-130J transports, P72-A maritime patrol aircraft, KC-767A tankers, and C2 and ISR systems including the MQ-9A and the E-550A CAEW. F-16s from the U.S. Air Force based at Aviano also participated, along with F-35 and AV-8B aircraft from the Italian Navy.
The exercise included both virtual activities and live missions designed to improve coordination between national and allied systems. One of the main focuses was the comprehensive training of technical personnel, aircrews, logistics specialists, planners, and operators of NATO’s integrated air and missile defense system.
The DACCC commander, Major General Luca Maineri, emphasized the strategic importance of the exercise: “With exercise PODA25, the DACCC strengthens NATO defense forces’ ability to act in unison in a modern and complex context, ensuring security and operational readiness in every scenario, while demonstrating the cohesion and efficiency of the Alliance in the field.”
PODA25 also enabled the application of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept through the redeployment of the mobile Deployable Air Defence Radar (DADR) to Cervia Air Base. This system, part of NATINAMDS, ensured operational and logistical integration among the participating nations. The Deployable Air Operations Center (DAOC) managed operational planning and the production of the Air Tasking Order for the units involved.
During the final phase, live interception, defense, and simulated strike missions were coordinated with support from NATO’s E-3A AWACS, while the Deployable Air Control and Reporting System (DARS) played a central role by integrating tactical information from multiple sources and enabling the conduct of air operations directly in the field.
Through its participation in Italy, Turkey reaffirmed its commitment to NATO and took advantage of the opportunity to deploy and train its units in a fully multinational environment. The exercise concluded by strengthening allied cohesion and improving the collective defensive posture in the field of air and missile defense.
Symbolic Significance of the F-4 Phantom
An important aspect to consider is that on November 17, 2024, the Turkish Air Force conducted an Elephant Walk to commemorate 50 years of F-4 Phantom service within the force.
These fighter-bombers were introduced into the Air Force during the 1970s, at a turbulent time for the region, as the crisis on the nearby island of Cyprus erupted during those years, resulting in an embargo imposed on Ankara by Washington.
Now with 50 years of service behind them, the F-4E aircraft continue to be operated by the Turkish Air Force in various operations and multinational exercises. This was most recently the case during Exercise Anatolian Eagle 2023. To mark this milestone for the fleet, the Turkish Air Force celebrated the anniversary by conducting an Elephant Walk carried out by the last squadron operating the Phantom II.
Cover image obtained from NATO for illustrative purposes.
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