Daily Times

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will host a two weeks long multinational air exercise from March 27 in which some of the country’s top Middle Eastern allies, including Saudi Arabia and Palestine, are also going to participate. The Aces Meet 2021 exercise is designed to maximise the combat readiness of all participants by providing them a realistic training environment for air combat and counterterrorism operations. “The Royal Saudi Air Force and the United States Air Force will be participating with their aircraft,” added the spokesman who did not want to be named. “However, the Iraqi Air Force and Palestinian paratroopers will attend the exercise without fighter jets.” “The exercise will help the participants benefit from each other’s diverse experiences and different aircraft operations,” he continued. The PAF spokesman said the Pakistani side would use F16 and JF17 fighter jets while the Royal Saudi Air Force would bring Tornado aircraft. He said the PAF enjoyed close cooperation with many countries in the region and frequently participated in bilateral exercises with them. “We have been part of different exercises with Saudi Arabia in the past,” he said. “Recently, we participated in Al-Saqoor II exercise in Saudi Arabia with our aircraft.”