The Israeli and US air forces concluded on Monday joint drills simulating measures when facing air threats and a possible Iranian missile attack on Israel.
An Israeli army spokesman said the goal of the exercise was to enhance cooperation in joint air defenses and counter missile threats.
The forces were trained in Negev desert on the F-35 stealth fighter jets and simulated scenarios in which they had to deal with both aerial threats and varying strategic threats from the ground.
The troops were trained on a scenario of US forces’ arrival in Israel and cooperating with the Israeli air defense system in protection missions, in case Israel was attacked by missiles and rocket-propelled grenades from several fronts.
The three-day exercise was conducted despite the coronavirus outbreak.
All contacts between the Israeli and US crew were done remotely through shared communication in the air and all flights were instructed using video conferencing, in light of concerns over the outbreak.
An Israeli army spokesman said that the exercise showed Israel’s close relationship with the US military and “increased the sharing of knowledge and study of the F-35’s capabilities and improves the operational capabilities of the Air Force.”
The spokesman said the Air Force continues to maintain full operational capabilities, and works in an emergency to continue to perform its mission of defending the country at all times.
