Photos: Defense minister attends ‘Radaa 2024’ drills with live ammunition in Mediterranean

CAIRO – 6 November 2024: Minister of Defense and Military Production Abdel Meguid Saqr has witnessed the implementation of the training drills “Radaa 2024” (Deterrence 2024) using live ammunition at the Mediterranean theater of operations.

The drills involved the main branches and various specialized departments of the Armed Forces in the presence of Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Ahmed Khalifa, along with the commanders of the main branches and several military officials.

FIRST PHASE

The first phase of the training activity included organizing all types of defenses for joint naval units against potential hostilities, in cooperation between the Air Force and the Air Defense Forces, where the aerial protection aircraft of the naval formation intercepted and engaged enemy aircraft.

Chemical warfare personnel conducted decontamination procedures for naval units and removal of the effects resulting from the enemy's use of chemical weapons to enable the completion of the remaining assigned tasks.

 

Meanwhile, air defense forces repelled an enemy air attack and provided protection for the helicopter carrier Gamal Abdel Nasser and its accompanying naval units by launching Avenger air defense missiles to counter the hostile air attack.

Suleiman Ezzat missile boats also participated in repelling the air attack.

Naval special forces executed visit and search procedures on a suspected non-compliant commercial vessel using professional combat methods to swiftly and accurately control the ship under aerial protection of the Kamov helicopter.

Additionally, Air Force personnel, in collaboration with naval units, conducted search and rescue operations at sea, saving an injured individual and transporting them via the medically-equipped Agusta helicopter.

Electronic warfare units engaged small unmanned aerial vehicles representing hostile targets and conducted electronic security operations using mobile sea and air units to secure the naval unit combat operations.

 

SECOND PHASE

The second phase involved the destruction of a high-value maritime target using Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles launched from missile boats simultaneously with the Air Force completing the destruction of the target from air support fighter jets of the naval formation.

Naval units carried out intensive strikes by firing live surface artillery ammunition with various rounds at enemy surface targets, including a submarine executing a maritime reconnaissance mission to search for and detect hostile naval units.

Apache attack helicopters conducted aerial bombing operations against identified enemy targets discovered by the submarines.

 

THIRD PHASE

The third phase included missile coverage on a vital target through modern air defense systems stationed on the coast, which monitored and engaged enemy aerial targets at different distances successfully hitting all targets directly.

Moreover, personnel from the thunderbolt forces conducted maritime landing operations on the coast to carry out a coastal raid mission.