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Over the past two weeks, the Royal Air Force (RAF) has taken part in the first western drone warfare exercise. The exercise took place in Israel, at the Palmachim Israeli Air Force base. Five Nato air force teams travelled to Israel to train on Hermes 450 drones, including personnel from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire as well as teams from the US, France, Germany and Italy.
The operators simulated joint operations with fighter jets and attack helicopters, according to The Times. Brigadier Amir Lazar, commander of the Israeli Air Forces Air Division, said that Exercise Blue Guardian was intended to strengthen international strategic cooperation and improve the skills of drone operators under various conditions.
Israel has been using unmanned aerial vehicles in combat for nearly 50 years, but this is the first time an international training exercise has taken place.
Brigadier Lazar said: “All the countries participating in this exercise have had combat experience with drones over the last couple of decades, in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. But they usually use a drone operating at long range”. Israel uses short range drones in Gaza and other closer battlefields, often only a few minutes’ flight time away.
Last month, a joint exercise between the Israeli, British and US air forces took place in Israel’s Negev Desert. The Israeli Air Force said: “The forces practiced together various airborne activities such as air-to-air and ground-to-ground battles, dealing with advanced surface-to-air missile systems, attacking targets in depth, and descriptions of combat in enemy territory”.
