King Abdulaziz air base commander attends Pakistani air force drill review

ISLAMABAD: Air Marshal Syed Noman Ali, the vice chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force, on Monday reviewed the ongoing multinational air exercise “ACES Meet 2021-1” at a PAF Operational Air Base, with the commander of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Air Base in attendance.
The two-week exercise kicked off at PAF’s operational air base on Monday with the objective to maximize the combat readiness of participating countries through near-realistic and role-oriented air-to-air combat training, with a focus on counterterrorism operations.
Saudi Arabia and the US have brought combat aircraft and fairly large contingents of pilots and technical staff to the exercise. The Royal Saudi Air Force contingent consists of 180 officials, including pilots and technicians, who arrived with several Tornado multirole combat aircraft and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
Around 50 officials from Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain are also present at the drill as observers.
“Vice Chief of Air Staff, PAF was given a comprehensive brief by Commandant Airpower Center of Excellence, Air Commodore Ahsen Yousaf, about the salient features and progress of the exercise ‘ACES MEET 2021-1’,” PAF said in a statement. “The Vice Chief expressed his satisfaction over the operational preparedness of the participating units and conduct of the exercise.”
Major General Eid Bin Barrak Al-Otaibi, commander King Abdulaziz Air Base, was also present at the occasion, PAF said, along with other military dignitaries from PAF and the Royal Saudi Air Force.
The King Abdulaziz Air Base, also known as Dhahran Air Base and formerly Dhahran International Airport, Dhahran Airport and Dhahran Airfield, is a Royal Saudi Air Force base located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The air base was the first Saudi Arabian airport to be constructed, in 1961.