Blue Flag: Showing Force In Israel

Almost 80 fighters from seven different countries flew at Israel’s recent Blue Flag international training exercise at Ouvda Air Base. The third annual exercise, Israel’s largest yet, is designed to simulate fighting with a coalition of forces that are critical to Israel, given the ongoing war in Syria and conflict throughout the Middle East. The U.S., Greece, Italy and Poland returned for this year’s exercise, while France, Germany and India joined for the first time.

“The [Israeli Air Force] has two main goals in the exercise: The first is to improve the operational readiness of all air forces involved via a quality mutual training experience while creating a fertile ground for mutual learning,” says Lt. Col. Guy, head of the Training Branch in the Israeli Air Force Air Division. “The second is to show the world that the [Israeli Air Force] is an advanced, strong and leading force and to improve Israel’s international status as a result.”