Two killed in UAE military plane crash

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates say a military aircraft has crashed during a training flight in the Gulf country, killing two onboard.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

15 May, 2016

UAE fighters stationed in one of Jordan's air bases for support in anti-IS strikes [Getty]

A pilot and an instructor were killed on Sunday when an Emirati military aircraft crashed during a training flight in the Gulf country, the army said.

The military statement did not say what type of aircraft was involved or where or when the crash happened.

An investigation is underway to learn more about the circumstances of the incident, the UAE's official news agency said.

The seven-state Emirates federation has one of the Arab world's best-equipped militaries.

Its armed forces include F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter planes as well as several types of transport aircraft, helicopters and trainers.

It is part of a US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, and a Saudi-led force battling Iran-backed Shia rebels in Yemen.

In March, nearly 350,000 troops from across 20 nations in the Middle East, Africa and Asia took part in what is thought to be the largest ever peacetime military exercise undertaken in the Arabian desert.

The 12-day exercise, dubbed Northern Thunder, concluded with officials from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Egypt attending the finale manoeuvres.

The unprecedented military training exercise, described by authorities as "the most important and largest in the region's history", suggests Saudi Arabia, along with its allies, are making a more assertive show of force against regional rival, Iran, amid escalating tensions.

Agencies contributed to this report.