RIYADH: Prince Sultan Airbase is hosting Tuwaiq 4 military drills with the air forces from eight other countries. 

Alongside the Royal Saudi Air Force, combat pilots and military servicemen from Oman, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, the UK, the US, Greece, and the UAE participated on Monday in aerial drills at the base near Al-Kharj, southeast of Riyadh. 

Forces from Egypt and Bahrain will be joining as observers in the two-week military exercise.

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Khanfour, a Saudi colonel pilot, said that Tuwaiq 4 drills looked to enhance cooperation, raise the level of readiness, and improve the combat efficiency of aircrews, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Drills will also focus on tactical landing, flying at high and low altitudes, operating in challenging scenarios, carrying out search and rescue operations, and enhancing ground technical support. 

Tuwaiq 4 also includes lectures about prominent air combat technologies and theories of planning and commanding an air operation.