PAF contingent returns home after exercise in Saudi Arabia

• Contingent included PAF's JF-17 Block-III fighter aircraft, combat pilots. 
• Multinational military exercise held at KSA's King Abdul Aziz Air Base
• PAF fighters execute non-stop flight from Pakistan to KSA and back.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent, participating in the  multinational military exercise "Spears of Victory 2025" held at King Abdul Aziz Air Base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, returned to the country on Friday. 

According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the contingent included PAF's JF-17 Block-III fighter aircraft, combat pilots and technical ground crew, who remained actively engaged in the exercise.

For this international deployment, PAF fighters executed a non-stop flight from their home base in Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and back, conducting in-flight air-to-air refuelling; demonstrating long-range operational capabilities of the JF-17 Block-III aircraft.

The exercise was aimed at validating interoperability in the face of realistic contemporary air combat scenarios between the participating air forces of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bahrain, France, Greece, Qatar, UAE, UK and USA.

During this exercise, the JF-17 Thunder demonstrated their exceptional operational capabilities against the most advanced fighters in demanding training scenarios; drawing wide appreciation for the operational potential and technological strengths of the aircraft.

"The successful participation of PAF air and ground crew in the military exercise is reflective of the high standard of operational training of PAF personnel, in line with the latest developments in aerial warfare in the face of shared challenges," it concluded.

Royal Saudi Air Force held the fifth cycle of the exercise, which provides an excellent opportunity to bolster interoperability within the participating air forces in the backdrop of technological advancement, increasing complexity in airpower application and shared aerial defence challenges, the military's media wing said last month.