The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Turkish intelligence service MIT are preparing a new strategic cooperation to establish a secret air base in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, with the aim of more closely monitoring the Middle East.
The news is reported by the French portal Intelligence Online, known for monitoring intelligence operations globally.
According to the report, the CIA is in the process of purchasing about 12 used and unmarked C-130 Hercules transport aircraft through intermediaries.
These aircraft will be modified for covert operations, a practice that the American service has used before for undeclared missions outside American territory.
Intelligence Online sources point out that the C-130 is suitable for covert operations, as its widespread use in civil and military aviation makes it easier to conceal the origin and mission of modified aircraft.
These vehicles will be stationed at the Geçitkale Air Base in Northern Cyprus, where Turkey already has Bayraktar TB2 drones deployed to protect its energy activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to Intelligence Online, the CIA and MIT's plan is to create a permanent invisible presence in the Mediterranean - close enough to Lebanon and especially Syria, a territory where Turkish services have been operating for years.
This operation involves the CIA's Air Branch, the air component of the Directorate of Operations, which operates differently from any traditional military squadron: through "shell" companies, contract pilots, and advanced electronic intelligence and surveillance (SIGINT) equipment.
The new fleet will be used for transporting specialized personnel, sensitive reconnaissance equipment, secured communications and potentially for silent high-altitude parachuting operations.