The RAF and Royal Air Force Oman have strengthened their long-standing partnership by completing the annual bilateral air combat training exercise in Oman, known as Exercise MAGIC CARPET.
Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Coningsby; a Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft from RAF Brize Norton and over 300 personnel from across the RAF have completed the two-week exercise with Omani Typhoons and F-16s at Thumrait in southern Oman.
The scenario-based exercise was designed to ensure both air forces maintain the ability to operate alongside each other in response to any external threat. It included a series of missions against ground targets.
The length of the missions were extended by the RAF Voyager, which provided air-to-air refuelling to the UK and Omani aircraft.
The RAF regularly practices deploying to new locations and operating with a range of international partners. Integration with the Omani Air Force is a key component to maintaining bilateral relations and maintaining security in the wider Gulf region.
The purpose of being here is to conduct defence engagement with the Omanis and to deliver high quality training opportunities for our people. It has been a full team effort; from the logisticians who have moved tonnes of essential equipment to the chefs who have cooked nearly 1000 meals a day, which n this heat that takes some doing!
We are working together very much as equal partners in the relationship. We plan alongside each other; we brief alongside each other and we fly alongside each other. The exercise strengthens the RAF’s role as a key partner for Oman and demonstrates our ability to deploy world class capabilities to the region.
Wing Commander Wright
Detachment Commander
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