Recent satellite images of Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan shows t least two Turkish F-16 fighter jets and CN-235 cargo aircraft parked on the airport apron.
Christiaan Triebert, a journalist on the Visual Investigations team at The New York Times, tweeted an image, dated Oct. 3, 2020, showing the pair of Turkish F-16s and CN-235.
“There are at least two F-16s at Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan, our analysis of an Oct. 3 Planet Labs satellite image shows,” Christiaan said in a Twitter post Wednesday. “The fighter jets are likely operated by the Turkish Air Force, alongside a possible CN-235 cargo aircraft. Here’s a short thread why.”
Also, he added that they compared the approximate measurements and visual characteristics (canard wings, color, etc.) with a variety of aircraft, including those operated by the Azerbaijani Air Force. The Turkish-operated F-16 is the closest match.
He noted, however, that while this satellite imagery analysis may be a confirmation of Turkish F-16 presence in Azerbaijan, it’s by no means evidence that one of those fighter jets shot down an Armenian Air Force Su-25 on Sept. 29, as was claimed by Armenian Defense Minister.
There are at least two F-16s at Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan, our analysis of an Oct. 3 @planetlabs satellite image shows. The fighter jets are likely operated by the Turkish Air Force, alongside a possible CN-235 cargo aircraft. Here’s a short thread why. pic.twitter.com/de1XsmXXZr
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) October 7, 2020