Commander of the Egyptian Air Defence Forces (EADF) Maj. Gen. Yasser Mohamad Kamal al-Toudi said that the EADF will forever remain an invincible strong bastion against whomsoever might be tempted to violate Egypt’s airspace.
Toudi made the remarks while addressing a ceremony held to mark the 54th anniversary of the Egyptian Air Defence Forces.
‘Today we celebrate the 54th anniversary of the Egyptian Air Defence Forces, to pay tribute to the martyrs and pioneers of the Egyptian Air Defence Forces who sacrificed so much to keep their country’s flag flying high,’ Toudi said.
In the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, President Gamal Abdel Nasser issued a decree on February 1, 1968 to form the Air Defence Forces as a separate branch of the Armed Forces.
On June 23, 1969, the branch’s first commander was appointed and that was Major-General Mohamed Ali Fahmy. His main mission was undermining the Israeli Air Forces, which had to be done by building a ‘Missile Wall’ to fend off any Israeli attacks against vital t
argets in Egypt.
History books record that on June 30, 1970, Egyptian air Defence missiles downed two Israeli ‘Phantom’ fighter jets and two ‘Douglas A-4 Skyhawk’ warplanes taking three pilots hostage. That day will always be a source of pride for the Air Defence Forces, for it was the beginning of the ‘Phantom Fall Week’ as 12 Israeli jets were destroyed in a week.
The Air Defence Forces carry out their mission with full support from the political leadership and the General Command of the Armed Forces, he added.
‘They focus on several main areas, including the qualitative development of armament systems through the possession of diversified sources capable of confronting advanced hostilities. This is achieved through a phased and prioritised plan, while also maintaining the current weapons and equipment assets,’ Toudi told a press conference marking the Air Defence Forces Day on Saturday.
‘The Air Defence Forces have recently been equipped with a range of state-of-the-art radar devices. Additionally, air
monitoring points have been equipped with modern electro-optical and thermal sensors,’ the commander said.
‘In addition to this, modern anti-aircraft missile systems have been integrated into the air Defence arsenal. Furthermore, the automated command and control system has been updated by Egyptian experts to ensure cybersecurity,’ he added.
Moreover, the education and training process has been enhanced to ensure that combat personnel are appropriately qualified and possess the necessary scientific and training skills to keep up with the advanced technology used in equipment manufacturing, he further added.
Source: State Information Service Egypt