Government | Thursday 26 January, 2017 4:05 am |

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman patronized the 50th anniversary ceremony of the founding of King Faisal Air Academy and the graduation of the 91st batch of its students here on Wednesday.

The King also commissioned new F-15SA fighter aircraft which joined the Royal Saudi Air Force fleet.

The F-15SA is the most advanced production F-15 Eagle ever built. Saudi Arabia ordered 84 F-15SAs and close to 70 kits to upgrade their existing F-15S fleet to the SA configuration

The F-15SA is an incredibly capable machine, featuring some key changes from its progenitor, the F-15E Strike Eagle. These include a full fly-by-wire flight control system, APG-63V3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, digital electronic warfare and radar warning suite, missile launch detection system, updated flat-panel display cockpits with helmet mounted displays in both cockpits and an infrared search and track system, known as “Tiger Eyes,” built into the left intake targeting pod pylon. The F-15SA also features F-110- GE-129 engines, capable of putting out almost 30,000 pounds of thrust each.

Commander of King Faisal Air Academy Air Vice Marshal Khalid Al-La’aboun welcomed King Salman and Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir.

He said, “Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of this great edifice where the beginning of training was launched by the late King Faisal.”

On behalf of the graduates, Cadet Musaed Al-Ghufeili expressed pride and happiness at the patronization of their graduation ceremony by the King.
The King watched a documentary on the stages of development of King Faisal Air Academy. Then the King inspected a parade by Academy students.

King Salman honored Bahraini Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa and Qatari Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Mubarak Bin Hamad Al-Khayarain. They are the alumni of the Academy.

King also gave away prizes to outstanding students of the Academy’s 91st batch.

Then the King and the guests watched an air show in which various aircraft of the Saudi Royal Air Force took part. The air show included Tornado fighter aircraft, Typhoons, F-15 interceptors, multi-task F-15s, F-15SA aircraft.

The air show was followed by a display by Saudi Falcons team, which registered recently in the Guinness World Records for forming the largest logo of a country.

The King Faisal Air Academy is a military flight school in Riyadh. Programs include fighter pilot, weapon director, air traffic controller, and information technology training. Training lasts for 27 months. Unlike other officer training schools, graduates of KFAA are trained as both pilots and officers simultaneously and are fully qualified for both flight and command duties upon graduation.