Eurofighter Typhoon from RAF’s (Fighter) Squadron have been taking part in Spears of Victory — a multi-national air training exercise organised by the Royal Saudi Air Force in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
During the exercise — which is smaller in scale but similar in complexity to the US-led Red Flag exercise — the RAF Typhoons flew daily sorties.
In total over 60 aircraft took part, including Eurofighter Typhoons, Tornados and F-15s from the host Royal Saudi Air Force. The Royal Air Force of Oman was also represented flying their Typhoon.
In addition, there were squadrons from Pakistan, Greece, the UAE and France, while the US supported the action by providing Air to Air Refuelling capability.
During the sorties, the pilots conducted air operations against a simulated adversary. They carried out a wide range of training mission including, defensive counter-air and offensive counter-air operations, as well as air interdiction training against both live and simulated threats.
The exercise required a large training area and the King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran, located near the Gulf coast in Saudi’s east was ideal, providing a training area covering around 300 sq km.
RAF Squadron Leader Hodgkinson, the UK Detachment Commander, said: “This was an extremely important training opportunity for everyone who deployed.
“Both for the force enablers who had the opportunity to work alongside strategic partners in the region as well as the fighter pilots who were carrying out the missions.
“The pilots and aircrew on this multinational exercise were able to build relationships through shared experiences.”
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