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RAF in Drone Warfare Exercise in Israel: "A Sign of Change after Brexit"

(The Times-UK) Anshel Pfeffer - The Royal Air Force has taken part in the first Western military exercise on drone warfare, held in Israel, where they trained on Hermes 450 drones, simulating joint operations with fighter jets and attack helicopters, together with teams from the U.S., France, Germany and Italy. For the Israelis, it was an opportunity to show their counterparts how they have been using unmanned aerial vehicles in combat for nearly 50 years. Brig.-Gen. Amir Lazar, commander of the Israel Air Force Air Division, said: "All the countries participating in this exercise have had combat experience with drones over the last couple of decades, in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. But they usually use a drone operating at long range. "Gaza and other battlefields over which Israel uses drones are much closer to its borders, sometimes only a few minutes' flight time away, and the Israeli doctrine is to use at least two drones in tandem to sweep potential targets and to ensure before an airstrike that the correct target has been identified. Over recent years, close ties between the Israeli and British armed forces have come out in the open. Last month, a joint exercise involving the British, Israeli and U.S. air forces was held in Israel's Negev Desert, with each nation using its F-35 stealth fighters. A British officer involved in the latest exercise said: "It's also a sign of how Britain's attitude towards some of its strategic alliances is changing after Brexit."
2021-07-29 00:00:00
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