The first joint military drills held at the Saudi Air Warfare Center at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in al-Dhahran kicked off on Sunday.

The Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Navy and the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces are taking part in the “Spears of Victory” exercise, which ends on February 11, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Head of the Center, Khalid al-Harbi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the air force has spared no efforts in building the facility.

The drill will help boost the armed forces’ capabilities by raising their level of coordination, combat preparedness and joint work, he added.

The drill area spans 300 kilometers, he revealed, saying trainings will be held on a daily basis.

The Center, he went on to say, boasts all types of fighter jets and offers training on combating advanced electronic warfare.

The Spears of Victory drill is expected to be held on a yearly basis with the participation of international forces, Harbi revealed.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, had laid the foundation stone of the warfare center in March 2019.

The Center paves the way for a new phase of supporting Saudi defenses by offering advanced training and testing facilities. It will contribute to the development and modernization of Saudi Arabia’s combat plans against potential threats. Additionally, it will focus on developing and evaluating air force capabilities, as well as testing and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of systems and weapons.

The Air Warfare Center will support the combat readiness of the air force by carrying out joint and mixed exercises with other countries and training in an advanced electronic warfare environment.

The Center offers aircraft maintenance, technical staff offices, equipment, service facilities, parking lots for planes, and fields for electronic warfare.