Six Polish F-16s in Israel for exercises from Wednesday

Six Polish F-16 multirole fighter planes and some 80 soldiers will be in Israel until the end of the month taking part in the Blue Flag international exercise.

PAP © 2015 / Grzegorz Michałowski / Teodory k. Łasku, 26.09.2015. Wielozadaniowy samolot F-16, podczas pokazów lotniczych w 32. Bazie Lotnictwa Taktycznego w Teodorach k. Łasku, 26 bm. Z okazji święta Bazy i 2. Skrzydła Lotnictwa Taktycznego w bazie zorganizowano Dzień Otwarty. (gm/mr) PAP/Grzegorz Michałowski PAP © 2015 / Grzegorz Michałowski

The exercise is to enable pilots to perform complicated air missions in conditions that they might encounter in a contemporary battlefield, Polish Armed Forces General Command Spokesman Artur Golawski has said.

"We are counting on this being a very interesting exercise, especially for the young generation of pilots: working together in an international environment ... on the F-16 in conditions maximally similar to a present-day battlefield, with simulated anti-aircraft defence, using all types of self-defence systems", he explained.

"Such exercises are impossible to conduct in Poland, they probably cannot even be conducted in Europe safely or as effectively as it is done over desert areas in Israel", Golawski added.

The exercise includes Polish and Israeli as well as American, Italian and Jordanian soldiers.

This is Polish F-16 planes' second stay in Israel, after joint manoeuvres in 2012. Poland has a total of 48 F-16 aircraft. (PAP)

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