Two Muslim countries join hands as Iran crisis deepens, set to conduct major military exercise in Middle East, 8 other nations to…

New Delhi: In a significant development, Pakistan’s Air Force has joined hands with the Saudi Arabian military to conduct a joint military exercise amid the Iran crisis. It is important to note that apart from these two countries, eight other nations are also participating in this exercise. According to the reports, a contingent of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday (January 19) to take part in a multinational aerial combat exercise. The contingent is equipped with F-16 Block-52 fighter jets. This information was shared on Monday by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The ISPR, in its statement, said that the PAF contingent landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Fighter aircraft and combat support units from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Italy, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are participating in the exercise.

Here are some of the key details:

• The multinational drill is named “Spears of Victory-2026.”
• The exercise will provide a strong platform among the participating air forces to enhance interoperability, operational coordination, mutual understanding, and capability development.
• It will place special emphasis on large-scale force employment, night air operations
• The exercise will also provide integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and missions involving advanced electronic warfare systems.
• ISPR said that through participation in this multinational forum, the Pakistan Air Force aims to further strengthen coordination with partner air forces

According to the statement, for this international deployment, PAF fighter jets flew directly from their home bases in Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the PAF’s long-range operational and deployment capabilities.