With the end of Exercise Red Flag in the United States, it was revealed that Israeli pilots trained alongside pilots from Pakistan and the UAE, countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations.
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A spokesman for the Israeli air force told the Associated Press that the August 15-26 exercise, which also included Spanish air force fighter jets, was the first time that Israeli fighter pilots had trained with Pakistani and Emirati pilots.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets and refueling aircraft took part in the almost two-week exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, from August 15 to 26, before returning to Israel on Wednesday, the army said.
The military exercise, known as the “Red Flag” war simulation, involves a mock battlefield in which the American forces act as the enemy, and includes around 50 Israeli warplanes, helicopters and other defence units, Haaretz reported. He declined to say whether the exercise included training in handling Russian S-300 anti-aircraft batteries, which Russia is supplying to Iran.
The Department of the Air Force founded the Air Force Space Command on September 1, 1982.
“The American pilots are excellent”, said a senior level IAF official. “We have no say in the matter”, he said. Fighter aircraft from the USA and Spain also participated in the drill.
Israel has been participating in Exercise Red Flag for several years. Nor was it the IAF’s first time flying alongside Arab pilots in one of those exercises. Eight Israeli F-16I (‘Sufa’ or Storm) fighter jets took part in the exercise this year, along with Israeli refuelling planes, all of which retuned here yesterday.
Israel and Pakistan don’t share diplomatic relations.
Because Israel’s aerial training space is relatively limited, “it is hard for us to challenge and surprise our aircrews with new training scenarios”, he said. “It lets you hold a mirror up to yourself, and you learn a lot from that”, he said.
“[International exercises] are not just military, but strategic in nature”, the officer said.
Israel Air Force planes returned from the United States on Wednesday, where they participated in a large-scale military exercise with the US Air Force and a number of other nations.
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Though Pakistan has indicated it would be prepared to formalize its relationship with the Jewish state once there is a peace agreement with the Palestinians, ties between the two countries are often complicated.
