'Emerging as Formidable Air Force': Pakistan Carries Out Flying Exercises in China, Egypt

The Pakistan Air Force has carried out two large-scale flying exercises, one each at China and Egypt, and claimed it marked “a significant milestone” in its journey towards emerging as a “formidable air force.” The participation includes PAF’s J-10 C and JF-17 lead fighter aircraft, combat pilots, air defence controllers, and technical ground crew, who are actively engaged in the Shaheen-X bilateral Air Exercise hosted by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in China, as well as the Bright Star Air Exercise held in Egypt, Dunya News channel’s website reported on Friday.

The annual bilateral China-Pakistan Joint Air Force Training Exercise ‘Shaheen (Eagle) – X’ is being held at Jiuquan and Yinchuan in northwest China. The exercise that started last week in August will continue till mid-September.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China and the PAF have been conducting Shaheen joint exercises since 2011, which are being hosted by both countries on an alternate basis, ChinaMilitary.com said.

Quoting a PAF statement, the Dunya News report further said, “The participation of these fighter jets in Exercise Shaheen-X marks a significant milestone in PAF’s journey towards a technologically advanced and formidable air force.” The Shaheen-X exercise in China and the Bright Star Air Exercise in Egypt provide invaluable opportunities for PAF to build upon its operational experience and exchange knowledge with esteemed counterparts from around the world, it said.

Meanwhile, the annual ‘Bright Start’ exercise for 2023 concluded at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in the city of Hammam in Egypt. The joint Egypt-US military exercise Bright Star 2023 saw the participation of 800 fighters from 19 countries, the Egyptian armed forces had announced earlier in the month.

Pakistan was among the countries that participated in the exercise taking place on Egypt’s North Coast and other naval bases and air bases across Egypt. The others included India, Saudi Arabia, Greece, UAE, Oman, Jordan, the UK, Greece and Cyprus.