The US Central Command said on Thursday that its forces and Saudi forces carried out a joint air exercise in northern Saudi Arabia to counter drones.
The Central Command added in a statement published on its Arabic-language account on the X site (formerly Twitter) that the exercise "Red Sands 2" highlighted the progress made by the two countries towards defeating the drones, which pose a threat by adversaries.
It added that the commander of the US Central Command, General May Corella, and the head of the Saudi General Staff, General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, followed the progress of the exercise, which was conducted on Wednesday by the Integrated Test Center.
Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, USCENTCOM CDR, and Gen. Fayyad al-Ruwali, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Chief of the General Staff observed Red Sands 23-2 & the progress the two nations have made in defeating threat unmanned aerial systems
MEDIA (https://t.co/89ZbpPlnvt)@modgovksa pic.twitter.com/IDaG8kE8QK
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 14, 2023
U.S. Central Command explained that this exercise is the culmination of months of rapid prototyping innovation and continuous development based on what was achieved in the previous exercise.
It also said that the new exercise included repeated testing of 9 systems that use different kinetic and non-kinetic technologies to destroy or disable drone systems.
The US statement said that the commanders of the US Army's "Central Task Force 39" led the live-fire training phase within the "Red Sands 2" exercise, and said that this division - in partnership with its Saudi counterparts - worked with military and commercial innovators to test the promising capabilities aimed at countering unmanned aircraft systems.
#فيديو_الدفاع | Part of the activities of the joint exercise «Red Sands 2», with the participation of branches of the armed forces and their counterparts in the US Central Command. pic.twitter.com/IuE6jBl3D0
— Ministry of Defense (@modgovksa) September 13, 2023
The commander of U.S. Central Command said the drone threat is real, adding that the Red Sands Integrated Test Center is an important step, not only in defeating the drones, but also in demonstrating a shared commitment to regional security by Saudi and U.S. forces.
The upcoming exercises will build on the successes and knowledge gained from previous exercises, as the two sides will continue to work together to overcome difficult military challenges, the military commander said.
For its part, the Saudi Ministry of Defense published – through its account in the site "X" (formerly Twitter) – video footage of the joint exercise with US forces.