The Royal Saudi Air Force (RAF) has participated in the 6th red and green flag drill since its launch in the United States, which is seen as one of the largest air jets fighters drill in the world, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
This drill included a number of the most powerful air forces in the world, such as the Royal Saudi Air Force, the US and NATO forces, along with some air forces from other countries.
On this occasion, a number of Saudi pilots expressed the importance of this effective participation in developing their skills, where the pilots Ahmed Al-Qaisi, said that the Saudi pilots proved their skills and the high technical capabilities Drill.
Earlier, Lieutenant Colonel Khalid al-Yousef, the Commander of the Saudi team participating in the Red Flag and Green Flag exercises said the event maximizes the Royal Saudi Air Force’s readiness for real air combat situations, al-Khaleej online newspaper reported.
Yousef added that the purpose of the large-scale aerial exercises is to enhance the survivability of participants through very realistic aerial war games, and give them the chance to exchange ideas.
Lieutenant Colonel Badr bin Eid al-Fayidi, Assistant Commandant of the Royal Saudi Air Force, also said the air-to-air combat exercises have been held since 1975, and Saudi air crews have participated in the Red and Green Flag exercises for six times in a row. He added that the first stage of the military drills kicked off on Wednesday.
On May 20, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed arms deals worth almost $110 billion, on the first day of President Donald Trump’s visit to the oil-rich Kingdom.
Exercise Red Flag is an advanced aerial combat training exercise hosted at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Since 1975, air crews from the United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Army (USA) and numerous NATO or other allied nations' air forces take part in one of several Red Flag exercises held during the year, each of which is two weeks in duration.
Under the aegis of the United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Base in Nevada, the Red Flag exercises, conducted in four to six cycles a year by the 414th Combat Training Squadron (414 CTS) of the 57th Wing (57 WG), are very realistic aerial war games. The purpose is to train pilots and other flight crew members from the U.S., NATO and other allied countries for real air combat situations. This includes the use of “enemy” hardware and live ammunition for bombing exercises within the adjacent Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR).
