Saudi Arabia and Sudan to hold first joint air force drill

[Zarvan]

Saudi Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets perform during a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the King Faisal Air Academy at King Salman air base in Riyadh on January 25, 2017. Fayez Nureldine / AFP

March 26, 2017 Updated: March 26, 2017 09:22 PM

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Khartoum // Sudan and Saudi Arabia will begin a joint air force drill this week, the first such manoeuvres since Khartoum allied with Riyadh after breaking ties with Tehran in 2015.

The exercises will be held from March 29 until April 12 in Meroe, north of Khartoum, and will involve hundreds of air force personnel from both countries, said Salaheddin Abdul Khalid, acting chief of staff of the Sudanese air force.





"The plan to hold these exercises was proposed by our brothers in Saudi Arabia," Mr Abdul Khalid said. "We have been planning this exercise for nearly a year."

He said the drills were aimed at improving the operational capacities of the two air forces, improving techniques related to air operations and promoting cooperation.

Sudan will participate in the manoeuvres with more than two dozen fighter planes including MiG-29s and Sukhoi jets. Saudi Arabia will have F-15s and Eurofighter Typhoons taking part.





A group of Saudi fighter pilots will also stage an air show in Khartoum between April 10 and 12.

Ties between Khartoum and Riyadh have strengthened since 2015, when Sudan joined the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen that is fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

"Saudi Arabia is now familiar with our skills and I am myself fighting in Yemen," said Mr Abdul Khalid.

Analysts say the relationship serves both countries, with Sudan eager to ease its international isolation and Saudi Arabia looking for avenues for investment to reduce its dependence on oil.





* Agence France-Presse

http://www.thenational.ae/world/mid...and-sudan-to-hold-first-joint-air-force-drill

 

[Hindustani78]

Sudan, Saudi to hold first joint air force drill
Agence France Presse | Published — Monday 27 March 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1074716/saudi-arabia

KHARTOUM: Sudan said Sunday it will begin this week a joint air force drill with Saudi Arabia, the first such maneuvers since Khartoum allied with Riyadh after breaking ties with Tehran in 2015.

The exercises will be held Wednesday until April 12 in Meroe, north of Khartoum, and will involve hundreds of air force personnel from both countries.

In 2015 Sudan announced it would take part in a Saudi-led military intervention in nearby Yemen against Iran-backed rebels.

The air drills are aimed at improving the operational capacities of the two air forces, improving techniques related to air operations and promoting cooperation, a senior Sudanese air force officer told reporters.

“The plan to hold these exercises was proposed by our brothers in Saudi Arabia,” said Salaheddin Abdul Khalid, acting chief of staff of Sudanese air force.

“We have been planning this exercise for nearly a year.”

Sudan will participate in the maneuvers with more than two dozen fighter planes including MiG-29s and Sukhoi jets, he said.


Saudi Arabia will have F-15s and Eurofighter Typhoons taking part.

A group of Saudi fighter pilots will also stage an air show in Khartoum between April 10 and 12.

Ties between Khartoum and Riyadh have strengthened after Sudan joined the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen that is fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

“Saudi Arabia is now familiar with our skills and I am myself fighting in Yemen,” said Abdul Khalid.

Analysts say the relationship serves both countries, with Sudan eager to ease its international isolation and Saudi Arabia looking for avenues for investment to reduce its dependence on oil.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-hosts-joint-air-maneuvers-with-saudi-air-force/785097

The Sudanese and Saudi Arabian air forces conducted joint maneuvers on Friday for the first time since Khartoum joined a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen two years ago.

According to a Sudanese army statement, the exercises -- dubbed “Blue Shield 1” -- are being conducted out of Sudan’s Merowe airbase located roughly 330 kilometers north of capital Khartoum.

The maneuvers, which are expected to continue until April 12, are “aimed at improving the operational capacities of the air forces of the two participant countries”, the army statement read.

Sudan is participating in the exercise with more than 24 aircraft including Russian-built MiG-29 jet fighters, while the Saudi air force is taking part with F-15s and Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes.

In a major policy shift in 2015, Sudan moved away from its longstanding alliance with Iran to one with the Arab Gulf States when it joined a Saudi-led air coalition against Yemen’s Shia Houthi militia group.

 

[925boy]

Let these 2 brothers keep up their friendship. We know who has to lay their lives down first in case of conflict.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

This is a quite historic moment in contemporary history (post Omar al-Bashir) and a return to the previous status quo. It was always very unnatural for KSA and Sudan to be at odds (not directly hostile but still at odds). It never made any sense that two Arab countries, moreover majority Sunni Muslim, would be hostile nor historically speaking.

The recent developments in regard to Sudan and KSA and most of the Arab countries (restoring relations with Sudan) is very welcoming and much needed. Our Sudanese brothers and sisters are some of the most kind and hospitable people that you can encounter and it is a country of great potential.

I can sadly not post any links yet or photos.

https://twitter.com/x/status/847905620422529025

Let these 2 brothers keep up their friendship. We know who has to lay their lives down first in case of conflict.

Get lost low IQ Wilayat al-Faqih Farsi. Internal Arab affairs have nothing to do with you. Do not pollute this peaceful section of the forum where your likes are unwanted. So stick to your low IQ Mullah infested section of the forum that 1-2 "Arab" users visit. One of them, "Salman F" a false-flagging non-Arab. The other (Malik al-Ashter), a hopelessly confused case.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1081936/saudi-arabia#photo/1

MEROE, Sudan: President Omar Al-Bashir said a joint Saudi-Sudanese air force drill that ended Sunday had boosted relations between the countries, two years after Khartoum broke ties with Iran.

For years, Khartoum’s Islamist regime maintained close relations with Riyadh’s arch-rivals in Tehran.

But as sectarian divisions in the region escalated with the conflict in Syria, Khartoum allied with Riyadh.

In 2015, it said it would take part in a Saudi-led military intervention in nearby Yemen against Iran-backed rebels.

“The air force drill showed that relations between Sudan and Saudi Arabia are progressing,” Al-Bashir said during a ceremony at the Meroe air base, 350 kilometers (220 miles) north of Khartoum, to mark the end of 12-day drill.
Officials said the first ever joint Saudi-Sudanese air exercise was intended to boost the two air forces’ operational capacities and promote cooperation.

Sudan took part in the exercise with more than two dozen fighter planes including MiG-29s and Sukhoi jets, defense officials said.

Saudi Arabia sent F-15 fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons.

Al-Bashir said the Sudanese military was playing a “key role” in improving Khartoum’s ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

“As Sudanese security is connected with that of countries across the region, we are building military and security cooperation with our neighboring countries,” said Al-Bashir, who wore a military uniform for the ceremony.
Analysts say warmer ties between Riyadh and Khartoum serve both countries.

Sudan is keen to ease its international isolation and Saudi Arabia is looking for avenues for investment to reduce its dependence on oil.
Saudi fighter pilots are set to stage an air show in Khartoum from April 10 to 12.