In a first-of-its-kind move, Russian airborne units have arrived Egypt
where they will participate in a joint military drill with the host
country. The drill, codenamed “Defenders of Friendship 2016” kicked off
yesterday and will last till October 26.
Both nations will practice joint anti-terrorist actions and
representatives of 30 countries will monitor the wargames. According to
the Russian Defense Ministry: “International [military] exercises of the
Russian and Egyptian Airborne forces on the African continent are being
conducted for the first time.
The Russian-Egyptian exercises involving units of airborne troops of the
Russian Federation and the airborne troops of the Arab Republic of
Egypt will develop common approaches to locate and destroy illegal armed
groups in a desert environment.”
100 tons of military hardware will be delivered to Egypt for use in the
drills, these include: airborne combat vehicles, armored personnel
carriers and quad bikes. The joint drills are based on earlier
agreements between Moscow and Cairo.
