Egyptian army announces upgrading air base with US support

The Egyptian army announced on Sunday the completion of an airbase development work, in cooperation with the US.

Army spokesman Colonel Tamer Al-Rifai said in a statement that the Egyptian air force organised a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the third phase of the development of an airbase in cooperation with the US, reported the Anadolu Agency.

The new developments included “upgrading the capabilities of engineering equipment as well as the construction and development of administrative facilities to ensure the improvement of administrative and moral affairs of soldiers.”

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Al-Rifai explained that “the development work came as the result of the Egyptian authorities’ keenness to continuously update the capabilities and capacities of the armed forces’ various branches and specialisations, in cooperation with friendly and brotherly countries to keep abreast of the latest global armament systems in various fields.”

The statement did not mention the air base’s name or the nature of support provided by the US. However, the Egyptian-US relations were described as “close and strategic”, especially at the military level, as Washington provides Egypt with about $1.5 billion annually in the form of aid, including $1.3 billion in military assistance, since Egypt signed the peace treaty with Israel in 1979.