Pakistan’s JF-17, elite commandos perform at parade marking end of ‘North Thunder’

Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder aircraft performed flight manoeuvres during a military parade at the concluding ceremony of the 12-day ‘Thunder of the North’ military exercises in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

“Pakistan is the only country whose pilots and fighter aircraft took part in aerobics at the show as PAF’s display team Sherdils performed with its K-8 Karakoram aircraft,” a statement said.

Soldiers from Pakistan’s elite commando force, the SSG, also performed free fall by jumping off military helicopters carrying flags of 21 countries, which took part in the ‘North Thunder’ military drills.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif attended the parade in King Khalid military city with custodian of the two Holy mosques, dignitaries and officials from other countries.

The PM along with leaders of other Islamic countries inspected the contingents of 21 countries pass through the stage with their respective flags.

Earlier on Thursday, prime minister along with the army chief witnessed the military exercises billed as the region’s biggest-ever military exercises.

The exercises took place near Hafr al-Batin city, close to the Kuwaiti and Iraq borders.

Saudi Arabia’s chief of staff, General Abdulrahman al-Bunyan, commanded the exercise and called it “the largest Arab and Islamic military gathering” in the region.

Northern Thunder’s official Twitter account said the exercises aimed to “confront all the threat scenarios in the region”.

According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Saudi Arabia has the best equipped military of Gulf countries, with an army of 75,000 troops and 313 combat-capable aircraft.