Israel concludes international aerial military exercise

Jerusalem, Nov 15 (IANS) Israel has concluded a 12-day-long international military aerial exercise, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced.

The exercise, dubbed "Blue Flag," was conducted between November 3-14.

It was the first international "Fifth Generation" exercise held in Israel involving F-35 warplanes, according to a statement issued by the Israeli military on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The exercise simulated fighting between an Israeli F-35 squadron, painted in blue, and an "enemy" F-35 squadron, painted in red.

The "enemy" forces operated advanced surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles to simulate the capabilities of the S-300 aerial defence system that Russia has delivered to the army in Syria.

Several air forces participated in the exercise, including forces from Germany, Italy, Greece, and the United States.

Additionally, forces from Japan, Britain, Croatia, the Netherlands, Spain, and France participated as observers.

"Almost 70 fighter jets of six different kinds participated in the exercise, most of the airplanes from foreign air forces, as well as an IAF (Israel Air Force) control aircraft," a military spokesperson said in a statement.

The exercise also included tankers, cargo planes, two different types of helicopters, drones, and an Italian control aircraft.