Two apparent Baykar mobile ground control stations (GCSs) for Bayraktar TB2 drones have been spotted at Al Khadim Airbase in north-eastern Libya, according to the open-source intelligence account AfriMEOSINT. The account said on 11 November that expansion work at the base, about 100 km east of Benghazi, is still under way and that Russian military aircraft remain visible there. The observation is based on satellite imagery shared by the account and has not been officially confirmed.
What the imagery reportedly shows
In an X post with an annotated satellite image, AfriMEOSINT said it had identified “two apparent Baykar mobile ground control stations” for TB2 drones at the base. It described the identification as apparent, not confirmed. The account had previously reported, in April, new expansion at Al Khadim, including underground structures under construction and additional hangars. It said the base is used by both the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Russian military personnel.
Neither the LNA’s General Command nor Baykar has commented publicly on the latest imagery. Al Khadim is controlled by the LNA, the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar that dominate eastern Libya.
Earlier reporting points the same way
The sighting fits a pattern documented by other analysts over the past year:
- Reuters, April 2026: commercial satellite images showed at least three drones at Al Khadim between April and December 2025. Three imagery specialists told Reuters that two smaller drones seen on 17 December 2025 matched the size and layout of Bayraktar TB2s. They said two distinctive double-antenna ground-control units visible from July 2025 onwards “strongly” indicated TB2 operations at the base. Reuters could not determine who supplied the drones, and the LNA and Baykar did not respond, Libya Security Monitor reported in its summary.
- Janes, August 2026: Janes reported that Vantor imagery from 8 August showed at least two Bayraktar Akıncı drones at Al Khadim, with a probable satellite communications antenna appearing on 6–7 August. It said mobile ground data terminals used for Baykar drones were deployed at the base between 14 and 17 July 2025, and a ground data terminal tower was built in October–November 2025.
Janes linked the deployment to “growing Turkish influence in Benghazi”. It noted that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Haftar in Benghazi on 12 August.
Context: Türkiye’s engagement with both sides of Libya
Türkiye has long been the main security partner of the Tripoli-based government and has broadened its engagement to eastern Libya in recent years. Analysis by the Jamestown Foundation said relations with the LNA began improving in late 2023. They led to the reopening of Türkiye’s consulate in Benghazi in 2024 and to high-level military meetings in 2025. Turkish naval vessels called at both Tripoli and Benghazi during the same deployment. Jamestown also said personnel from both Libyan military camps have trained together in exercises hosted by Türkiye under a single Libyan flag.
Jamestown described Ankara’s approach as positioning Türkiye as “a security broker capable of engaging both of the country’s power centers”, in support of efforts to unify Libya’s military under the “One Libya, One Army” banner. Both the TB2 and the Akıncı are already in service in western Libya. A Baykar control footprint at Al Khadim would mean the same drone family is operated on both sides of the country’s political divide.
Russian presence and base expansion
Al Khadim is also a key hub for Russia’s military logistics in Africa. RFI’s investigative unit traced a Russian Ministry of Defence An-124 cargo flight from Syria to Al Khadim in May 2025, before onward stops in Bamako and Ouagadougou, as RFI reported. A US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Tearline report covering six Libyan airbases said three new hangars and suspected accommodation facilities had been built at Al Khadim over the past year, with a communications tower and barracks to follow in 2026, according to Il Sole 24 Ore. AfriMEOSINT’s latest post says that expansion is continuing.
What is not known
- Whether TB2 aircraft are currently present at Al Khadim, as opposed to their ground control equipment.
- Who operates the drones and control stations, and under what arrangement.
- Whether the latest imagery reflects new deliveries or equipment already at the base since 2025.
Sources
- @AfriMEOSINT, X post, April 2026 (base expansion): x.com
- @AfriMEOSINT, X post, 11 November 2026 (satellite imagery, OSINT claim): x.com
- Janes, “Akinci UAVs deployed to eastern Libya”, 14 August 2026: janes.com
- Reuters, “Libya’s Haftar acquires combat drones”, 2 April 2026: reuters.com
- Libya Security Monitor, 2 April 2026: libyasecuritymonitor.com
- Jamestown Foundation, “Türkiye Expands its Security Strategy in Libya”, 2026: jamestown.org
- RFI, 23 June 2025: rfi.fr
- Il Sole 24 Ore (citing the NGA Tearline report): ilsole24ore.com
Method: the new sighting is an open-source satellite imagery assessment by AfriMEOSINT and is reported as a claim. Background on earlier drone deployments comes from Reuters and Janes analysis of commercial satellite imagery. No official statement was found.
Related: Bayraktar TB2 in Libya: combat record · Bayraktar Akıncı in Africa · Libya’s military strength