The press of Turkmenistan explained the flight of President Berdymukhamedov in the cockpit of the light attack aircraft Aermacchi M-346
The head of Turkmenistan recently inspected a military airfield. During this inspection, Gurbanguly Berdimuhmamedov was accompanied by Defense Minister Begench Gundogdyev and Secretary of the country's Security Council Charymyrat Amanov, who traditionally wrote down all the remarks of the head of state in their notebooks.
Turkmen media reported that the country's president acted as a military pilot, disguised as a flight suit and sat in the cockpit of a combat aircraft. From local sources:
He sat at the helm of a military aircraft to personally conduct the tests. At the same time, some details of the flight carried out by the Turkmen president appear.
If at first it was reported that Berdymukhamedov decided to fly on the A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the Brazilian Embraer, then it was later announced that the President of Turkmenistan performed the flight on the Italian light attack aircraft Aermacchi M-346 (the actual analogue of the Russian Yak-130) - training aircraft (TCB). For the Air Force of Turkmenistan, 6 A-29B Super Tucano and 6 Aermacchi M-346 were previously ordered.
In the cockpit of the TCB attack aircraft, in addition to the President of Turkmenistan, there was also a pilot of the Turkmen Air Force. At the same time, the Aermacchi M-346 was accompanied by at least two other sides, from one of which the video was filmed.
As the Turkmen media later explained, President Berdymukhamedov inspected the airbase and flew in an attack aircraft "as a demonstration of the country's readiness to respond to any threat, including from Afghanistan."
This is a demonstration of determination and readiness to repel aggression.
It is worth recalling that in the past few weeks, the situation on the Afghan-Turkmen border has significantly escalated. The militants took control of several checkpoints in the north of Afghanistan, the likelihood of their breakthrough to the countries of Central Asia, including Turkmenistan, is not excluded. Recall that, on the basis of its own constitution, Turkmenistan is a militarily neutral state, that is, it is not a member of military and military-political blocs and alliances.
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