Egypt and Saudi Arabia hold joint air force training

The Egyptian Ministry of Defence said today that officers from the Egyptian and Saudi Air Forces will conduct joint training in Egypt.

The “Faisal 11” training includes “formations of the latest multi-mission fighters of both countries, including the implementation of many activities and training exercises for joint air fighting using the latest methods of air combat,” a statement said.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) this will start next weekend.

In 2013, King Fahad Air Base in Taif, west of Saudi Arabia, witnessed Faisal 10 manoeuvres between the Saudi Air Forces and the Egyptian Air Forces.

In a second statement, the Egyptian army announced the launch of the joint Egyptian-Russian training “Protectors of Friendship 2” in the city of Novorossiysk, southwest of Russia.

According to an Egyptian army statement, “training continues until September 22 between Egyptian paratroopers and Russian landing forces with the participation of more than 600 fighters for both countries.”

The training includes “identifying the technical and tactical characteristics of weapons and equipment, command and control mechanisms and acquiring skills, and performing a number of joint training jumps.”

The statement said that “Protectors of Friendship 2” is one of the important joint exercises of the paratroopers, which represents a good occasion for the exchange of different training experiences and the accomplishment of the “Protectors of Friendship 1” training which was carried out by the two countries’ forces in Egypt in October 2016.