Polish F-16s join military drills in Israel

As many as Six Polish F-16s and some 80 soldiers departed for the Middle East on Wednesday to participate in the Israel-led "Blue Flag" multinational maneuvers at the Ovda air force base in the Negev desert, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) and the Polish Radio reported. "This is the champions league, regarding F-16's. Our pilots are training with the best in the world and they are considered part of that group" Tomasz Siemoniak, the defense minister told Polish Radio. He asserted that the drills have no connection to the war in Syria. Polish forces will be training alongside their Israeli, American, Italian and Jordanian peers. During the joint operations, Poland's soldiers are to apply the combat capabilities of the F-16 multirole fighter jets in simulated air warfare, including fighting air-to-air threats and surface-to-air missiles.