The UAE and Royal Bahraini Air Force and Air Defence units have completed a bilateral air defence exercise, code-named Union of Falcons 1 / 2012, as part of a joint strategy to enhance military cooperation between the two countries.

During the exercise, which commenced on 1 July 2012 at an undisclosed location, personnel from the two air forces were put through several joint defence scenarios, including practical applications, tactical manoeuvres, joint air operations, command and control, and fire support missions.

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The two countries also demonstrated their operational readiness and joint air firepower during war-like scenarios.

UAE Air Force and Air Defence deputy commander major general pilot Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi was quoted by Khaleej Times as saying that the squadrons conducted a series of exercises, which demonstrated the results of concerted work and cooperation of all elements involved.

"The joint exercise between the two fraternal countries is not linked to any developments on the regional or international plateaus," Al Alawi added.

The Union of Falcons 1 / 2012 exercise was conducted as part of a military cooperation agreement signed between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Armed Forces, aimed at training personnel in the areas of planning and managing joint military operations, in addtion to enhancing combat readiness among different units of the armed forces.

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In order to gain additional field experience and combat capability, the various defence capabilities of GCC states were merged and put into practice during the drills.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar complete the GCC.

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