RIYADH: Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, distributed awards and certificates Sunday to students who graduated from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh. The graduates also included a Bahraini and a Yemeni.
The awards ceremony followed a 15-minute air show. More than 12 aircraft were on display at the show.
Prince Sultan greeted the pilots and the technical staff and congratulated them on their dedication in operating and maintaining the aircraft that were added to the fleet of the Royal Saudi Air Force recently.
Saudi Arabia is the first country outside Europe to have Typhoon jets, a multirole aircraft produced by a BAE Systems-led consortium of European firms.
The deal was first announced in August 2006 while contract for the Typhoon aircraft was signed in September 2007. The new addition has upgraded the Royal Saudi Air Force from its current fleet of BAE’s 1980s Tornado F3s and US-made Boeing F-15s. Under the deal, BAE is to deliver 24 completely built Typhoons to the Royal Saudi Air Force while another 48 are to be assembled inside the Kingdom as the country seeks to build up its own aeronautics industry capabilities.
On arrival at the air base, the crown prince was received by Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister for defense and aviation for military affairs, Chief of Staff Gen. Saleh bin Ali and Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Sudais, head of the King Faisal Air Academy.
Interior Minister and Second Deputy Premier Prince Naif also attended the ceremony.
In his brief speech preceding the air show, Al-Sudais thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan for the cooperation extended to develop the academy. He said the return of Prince Sultan to the Kingdom is good news for everyone.
“We are happy that the prince returned safe and sound to our homeland,” he added.
Speaking about the academy, Al-Sudais said that this was the 77th graduation ceremony of the institution that offers training for Saudis and others in the region. “We are able to cater to the needs of the nation as well as to the requirements of our friends in the region,” he said.
Al-Sudais also commended the valiant efforts of the armed forces that protected the country from terrorists who had crossed into Saudi territory recently.
“Almighty Allah will bestow paradise on all those who laid down their lives for the sake of the country during the incident. They died with dignity and pride,” he added.
