ARABIAN PENINSULA -- U.S. Air Forces Central participated in Yellow Sands 25.2, an integrated air and missile defense and counter-unmanned aerial system exercise across the Arabian Peninsula alongside Coalition and partner nations, June 03, 2025.
F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft from Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base and A-10C Thunderbolt II strike aircraft from Georgia’s Moody Air Force Base took part in the combined exercise with partner nation air forces.
The “Sands” exercise series improves the combined IAMD posture throughout the Arabian Peninsula and enhances the ability of all partner nations to integrate and coordinate the defensive capabilities necessary to respond to foreign threats, including defending against unmanned aerial systems.
Coalition and regional partners continue to face threats from the Iranian Threat Network. Exercises like Yellow Sands strengthen the collective capacity to detect, track and neutralize UAS and missile threats throughout the region.
Imagery of operations and activities within the U.S. Air Forces Central theater of operations is publicly available through the Defense Visual Information Distribution service at www.dvidshub.net/unit/AFCENT.
For more information on U.S. Air Forces Central, please contact Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) Public Affairs at afcent.publicaffairs@us.af.mil.
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