Egypt and the UK concluded a joint amphibious exercise T-1  on Thursday in the Mediterranean Sea, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced.

According to the Egyptian army’s statement, the drill included many different training activities including the preparation of various sailing formations, which showed the ability of the joint units to take their positions with high accuracy and speed.

The drill also included training on protection of cargo ships and maritime interdiction operations in accordance to international charters and laws, as well as air defense training to counter air threats and secure navy units within the scope of their work.

The final phase of the drill saw a successful amphibious landing operation of seaborne and naval special forces that carried out a successful storming of the beach to pave the way for the main force.

Egyptian Navy Commander Ahmed Khaled praised the units, of the navy forces from both countries participating in the drills, for their high combat readiness. He stressed on the importance of those drills to exchange expertise especially with the British Navy, which is one of the oldest navies of the world.

The Egyptian Navy participated in the drills with the Mistral helicopter carrier 'Anwar El-Sadat', Frigate 'Sharm El-Sheikh', Missiles boat 'Ali Gad' and their combat crew as well as units from the Special Naval Forces and several multi-role combat aircraft.

From the British side, the 'HMS ALBION' amphibious warship and its accompanying combat crew, as well as elements of the British Naval Special Forces participated in the training.

The T-1 training was the first joint amphibious exercise between Egypt and the UK.