The Russian and Egyptian forces practiced shooting down US and UK made drones as part of the military exercise.
Rabat – As part of the military cooperation between Rabat and Cairo, the Egyptian military invited a delegation of their Moroccan counterparts to observe the ongoing Egypt-Russia military training exercises.
The Egyptian-Russian military exercises have been running since the beginning of the month under the name “the Arrow of Friendship.” The exercise will end in mid-November.
The two-week field-training exercise is the first military cooperation of this kind between Russia and Egypt.
According to Far-Morocco, a website specialized in reporting on the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces’ (FAR) activities, Morocco is observing the air defense exercises represented by a senior FAR officer.
A military source told Morocco World News, that the name of the military representative has not been disclosed.
“The participation of Morocco in these exercises is part of the military cooperation between the kingdom and the Republic of Egypt,” added the source.
Zvezda, the Russian Defense Ministry’s official TV channel, has published footage of the ongoing aerospace training, with videos of Russian and Egyptian military personnel shooting down US and UK made drones now circulating online.
The Russia-Egypt training exercise is aimed at improving responses to surprise air attacks in light of the developments in air attack weaponry.
Morocco’s anti-aircraft warfare has witnessed a remarkable development in recent years characterized by the establishment of new units reinforced by a short and medium-range missile arsenal.
Far-Maroc noted that Morocco is set to acquire long-range missile units starting next year with the aim of strengthening its airspace capabilities.
Morocco collaborates with a number of partner countries to develop military training. The kingdom has signed cooperation agreements with the US, Spain, the UK, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands among other partners.
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As part of the US-Morocco partnership, the FAR took part in a combined Moroccan-American exercise between March 16 and April 7. The program, called “African Lion,” is considered among the most important interallied exercises in the world.
The Moroccan-American exercise aimed to enhance the interoperability of the air-land command systems used by both nations and to train the air and land components on various missions.
From March 29 to April 6, the Royal Moroccan Navy started the Phoenix Express 2019, Euro-Mediterranean naval maneuvers with the US Navy.
The exercise was designed to improve regional cooperation by increasing operational capabilities and enhancing efforts to achieve safety and security in the Mediterranean sea.
