U.A.E participates in the Red Flag exercises

[Mig-29]

The elite F-16 pilots of the United Arab Emirates air force are honing their dog-fighting skills with the U.S. Air Force's top guns in the skies above Nevada as the Arab states of the Gulf build up their military power to confront Iran. This is the first time that the U.A.E. has participated in the prestigious Red Flag exercises in which foreign air forces join the U.S. Air Force's elite every year to simulate air-to-air combat and ground attack missions against hostile force.

Traditionally, the enemy was the Soviet Union, but these days Iran is seen as the potential adversary. Israel has repeatedly threatened it would launch unilateral pre-emptive strikes against Iran to knock out its nuclear infrastructure. The United States is seeking to engage Tehran in a diplomatic dialogue but has cautioned that the military option remains on the table should Iran refuse to abandon its alleged effort to acquire nuclear arms. At the same time, the United States in 2007 offered the Gulf Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, an arms package worth $20 billion over 10 years to bolster their forces against the Islamic Republic.

The U.A.E., which vies with Saudi Arabia for military leadership of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, is a key element in that. Its participation in Red Flag underlines the emphasis that the Emirates' military planners place on the Gulf federation's growing air power, and long-range strike capability, to counter Iran's growing ballistic missile strength and its perceived drive to develop nuclear weapons. Previous Middle Eastern participants in Red Flag include Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.

According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the U.A.E. pilots and ground crews spent two weeks preparing for the exercises at the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport. That unit has been training U.A.E. pilots for eight years, and the U.A.E. air force maintains seven F16E and seven F-16F aircraft at Tucson for training purposes. The U.A.E. is using its Lockheed Martin F-16E Desert Falcon Block 60 jets in the air combat exercises that began at Nellis Air Force Base in the Nevada desert on Aug. 22 and are scheduled to end Sept. 2. The main strike capability of Iran's air force consists of an estimated 43 Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-25K Frogfoots and Su-24MK Fencer Ds as well as 24 French-built Mirage F-1Es.

Many of these are former Iraqi air force jets that were flown to Iran during the 1991 Desert Storm war to prevent their destruction by U.S.-led forces liberating Kuwait. Tehran has refused to return them to Iraq. Iran also has 25 aging MiG-29A and MiG-29UB Fulcrums, also formerly owned by Iraqi air force, that comprise its main fighter interceptor force. It still deploys U.S.-built F-14 Tomcats that were acquired during the reign of the shah in the 1970s. But these are no longer considered to be a match for the cutting-edge F-16E/Fs and French Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000 combat aircraft flown by the U.A.E. air force. The U.A.E. is also considering the acquisition of a new aerial strike force of as many as 80 Dassault Rafale multirole combat jets that will give it an even greater punch than it has now.

ASIAN DEFENCE: U.A.E participates in the Red Flag exercises

 

[Thomas]

Impressive that they keep their own aircraft in the U.S. for training. It shows much more commitment and the value they place on pilot skills. Pakistan could learn something from this. India may acquire more advanced aircraft then Pakistan. But pilot training counts more in dog fighting. the U.A.E. realizes this. And the U.S. is one of the best to teach this.

 

[Patriot]

Thanks but no thanks.We're not Arabs if you know what i mean..The training is usually done in USA on T series trainers..for 2 years i think.Only few go there and the rest are trained here by our professional instructors.Same for Indian Air Force.

 

[PAFAce]

Impressive that they keep their own aircraft in the U.S. for training. It shows much more commitment and the value they place on pilot skills. Pakistan could learn something from this. India may acquire more advanced aircraft then Pakistan. But pilot training counts more in dog fighting. the U.A.E. realizes this. And the U.S. is one of the best to teach this.

Consider this.

They don't have:
- A capability to offer similar levels of training at home, in terms of man-power and quality.
- Real life combat experience.
- A military structure of a very high caliber.
- A constant high threat situation requiring operational readiness at all times.
- A tradition of excellence.

The do have:
- Money.
- A mutually beneficial alliance with the United States and the West.
- Lot's of Money.
- Similar threat perceptions of the region as the West.

In other words, their situation is the exact opposite of Pakistan's. There is little Pakistan Air Force could "learn" from UAEAF, and plenty that we can (and do) teach them. PAF has a history of sending officers to the UAEAF and other allied Air Forces for training purposes. I've personally met Pakistani Armed Forces personnel on postings in the UAE (most Air Force personnel are in Al-Ain). They end up with top-notch training, and we end up getting to fly some high-quality aircraft (an issue raised by the Indians not just once).

There is nothing wrong with sending a selection of your pilots overseas for training, the PAF has an active exchange program. But it is quite another thing to outsource your national defense, which certain countries in the Middle East seem to have no problem with.