SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Saudi fighter jet training crash kills 2 crew, says ministry
Riyadh, Dec 7 (AFP) Dec 07, 2023
A Saudi air force jet crashed on Thursday during a training exercise in the east of the country, killing its two crew members, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The aircraft, part of the kingdom's fleet of F-15SAs, crashed "while it was carrying out a routine training mission at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran", said the statement attributed to defence ministry spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki, published by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

It comes five months after another F-15SA, a US-built multirole fighter aircraft, crashed in the training area of an air base in Khamis Mushait city in the south of the Gulf kingdom, an incident that also left two dead.

An investigation has been launched to determine what caused Thursday's accident, SPA quoted Maliki as saying.

For decades, the F-15 "has been a cornerstone of the relationship" between the Saudi air force and the United States, the Gulf kingdom's main security partner, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which is part of the US Defense Department.

"The F-15SA will help deter potential aggressors by increasing Saudi's tactical air force capability to defend against regional threats," the agency said in a 2010 statement notifying the US Congress of a plan to sell 84 such aircraft to Riyadh.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Bearings Used in Space Technologies: Engineering for the Final Frontier
China prepares for Mars sample return with HKU astrobiologist on mission team
Robots could one day crawl across the moon

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Ultrasound triggers nuclear decay anomaly hinting at flexible space-time
AI system accelerates aircraft concept design using language models
Autonomous sub explores unexplored trench depths to reveal critical mineral clues

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
PLD Space selected as leading contender for ESA sovereign launch initiative
UK opens competitive bid for GBP 75 million orbital cleanup mission
Why Satellite Jamming Is the New Frontline in Global Conflict

24/7 News Coverage
Glacier retreat could drive a surge in volcanic eruptions worldwide
UK thermal satellite firm wins ESA contract to deliver real time climate and security insights
Beyond male dominance in primates new study redefines gender power roles



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.