PAF participates in Spears of Victory 2023 exercise

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) participated in the Exercise Spears of Victory 2023 that concluded at the Air War Centre Dhahran (King Abdulaziz Air Base) in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“The PAF contingent consisted of pride of Pakistan, JF-17 Thunder, and F-16 aircraft which roared in the aerial boundaries of our Muslim brethren country while participating in the exercise,” a PAF news release said.

The exercise also witnessed the participation of modern fighter jets and support elements from PAF and friendly countries.

Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Air Defence) Air Marshal Abdul Moeed Khan witnessed the closing ceremony of the exercise and appreciated the efforts of PAF contingent for making the exercise a great success.

While interacting with the air and ground crew, he said: “The existing global security scenario coupled with the evolving dynamics of air warfare calls for an enhanced partnership between Pakistan and friendly countries. International and regional strategic situation is undergoing profound changes with growing complexity in the security environment and such exercises provide an opportunity to enhance interoperability in the face of shared challenges.”

The third version of the exercise started in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia during the first week of February.

Besides host Saudi Arabia, air forces from Bahrain, Greece, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, United Kingdom, and United States took part in the event.

The exercise aimed at providing an opportunity to enhance interoperability with participating countries.

In addition to fostering military relations, the exercise also provided a platform to practice integrated employment of combat and combat support assets along with formulation and validation of tactics against contemporary threats.

The scenario contained a high number of offensive and defensive complex training missions with the presence of electronic warfare and air defence systems supplemented with the presence of aggressive fighter aircraft to simulate enemy capabilities.

The exercise profoundly enhanced the operational capability, tactical manoeuvring skills, the concept of joint employment, alliance-building among friendly countries, and war-time preparedness of the participating air and ground crew.