Air Warfare Center

The Air Warfare Center is a military air center affiliated with the Royal Saudi Air Force, located at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran, east of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The center offers advanced training capabilities for aircrews and supporting entities, simulating modern warfare scenarios, as well as conducting testing and evaluation of systems and weapons to ensure their effectiveness, impact, and readiness for deployment.

The cornerstone of the center was laid by the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, on April 1, 2019, when he was the Minister of Defense.

The Air Warfare Center is the first of its kind in the Gulf states, serving regional purposes, as joint Gulf operations are conducted there. In the event of actual operations, the center serves as the headquarters of the air combat operations command at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The center works to support the combat readiness of the air force and implements joint and mixed exercises in partnership with certain countries. Additionally, it provides training in an advanced electronic warfare environment and utilizes effective combat tactics and methods, evaluating their effectiveness through assessment by specialists within the air force, simulating real battle conditions.

The center consists of the command building, which includes a main gate with security requirements, aircraft maintenance hangars, technical crew offices, a ground equipment warehouse, service facilities, sun canopies for twenty-four aircraft, an aircraft parking area, side corridors, and an electronic warfare field.

On January 31, 2021, the center witnessed the launch of the joint exercise maneuvers 'Rumah al-Nasr-1' (Spears of Victory), with the participation of the Saudi land and naval forces and the air defense forces at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran. It marks the first exercise conducted at the center.

The 'Rumah al-Nasr-1' exercise enabled participants to plan and execute joint military operations with branches of the armed forces in a harmonious and integrated manner at both the operational and tactical levels. This was achieved by utilizing modern systems and capabilities within scenarios simulating real-threat environments. The exercise incorporated an integrated system of proficient Saudi competencies.