Securing the skies
Air Force Commander Lt Gen Magdi Sha'rawi spoke to Amira Ibrahim about the continued development and modernisation of his troops
As part of Egypt's commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the 1973 October War, the air force celebrated the anniversary of a famous battle that took place on 14 October 1973.
On that day, about 160 jet fighters, most belonging to Israel, battled for 53 minutes over the Nile Delta town of Mansoura. Despite the superiority of the Israeli warplanes, in both quantity and quality, 18 Israeli planes were downed, while the rest dropped their bombs and fled.
"It was our pilots' outstanding performance that paved the way to victory," Air Forces Commander Lt Gen Magdi Sha'rawi told Al-Ahram Weekly .
Sha'rawi said the air force continues to "place high value on the human element in the development of a strong military force. At present, our pilots are being trained using the most advanced technologies." Sha'rawi said, "Egyptian pilots are marked by their ability to comprehend complicated technologies, as well as the high- tech training they have received using simulators for all sorts of warplanes."
According to Sha'rawi, the modernisation of the air force has expanded over the years to reflect "the continuous change of armament technology systems". After the 1973 War, he said, weapons and equipment were purchased from both the East and West. "The warplane industry is constantly being modernised, which provides us with the catalyst to make sure our troops have advanced warplanes and hi-tech aviation systems, such as wide-range bomber fighters that are capable of destroying the enemy's control and command centres and air defence equipment."
Sha'rawi also highlighted the manner by which his troops' progress is evaluated. "Jet fighters are connected to control and command systems, and pilots are trained via joint actions with units from every branch of the armed forces. The expansion of joint exercises with foreign armies, western and Arab, has also enhanced our experiences."
Sha'rawi refused to link the air force's armament policies with those of neighbouring countries. "We have our own strategy which basically emerges from our target mission, which is to protect our skies and territorial waters. We are not involved in an arms race with others in the region, but we are very aware of our mission and the work required to achieve it."
Sha'rawi said it was not just a matter of the "names or classes of warplanes you have within your air force, but the results that are achieved, and whether or not they fulfil your goals".
Air force engineers have managed, Sha'rawi said, to maintain the excellent performance of warplanes, some of which have served the corps for decades. "We have carried out a continuous process of updating our equipment and communication systems, thanks to both the genius of our engineers, who have done a brilliant job in that domain, as well as the highly professional pilots who have carried out different missions."
Among the old jet fighters still serving in the air force is the Soviet-manufactured Mig-21, which took part in the 1973 air battles. At the same time, the air force also owns "the world's most advanced warplanes", Sha'rawi said. "In addition to the F-16s and the Mirage 2000, we have the best anti-armour helicopters -- American made H-64 Apaches and French-made Gazelles."
For the October War anniversary, the armed forces conducted a major exercise involving units from different branches of the military, including the air force. A total of 120 jet fighters took to the air more than 200 times, in practice runs involving live fire being applied to real targets at real military locations.
"We have a comprehensive and accurate training regimen that we are committed to applying over the course of the year. It includes joint exercises with other branches of the armed forces, or other foreign air force units."
Asked whether this training regimen had been affected by the cancellation of this year's major joint exercise -- code named Bright Star -- Sha'rawi said, "we certainly benefit from regular joint exercises with foreign troops, but this does not mean we will be lost because we missed this one." This year's Bright Star -- which usually involves more than ten countries, including the US -- was cancelled at the request of the US, which had deployed a huge number of troops in Iraq.
Sha'rawi's evaluation of the Iraq war centred on the drastic absence of Iraqi air force and air defence. "Both air defence and air forces apply their mission towards one target, which is to stop the enemy's air forces from carrying out its missions and achieving its goals. Coordination and cooperation between the two corps are important to successfully achieve that mission, and make use of the joint control and automatic command systems."
As for whether the Egyptian air force would be prepared to deal with such a superior show of air force attack, Sha'rawi's response was succinct: "Let me assure you that we -- the armed forces -- possess a developed surveillance system, that operates both manually and automatically. It starts at the qualified trained surveillance equipment for the E-2C planes." Plus, Sha'rawi said, "the sources of our radar systems are being diversified to encompass China, France, Russia and the US, thus enabling air force and air defence to work with more efficiency."
