For the second year in a row, the Israel Air Force is taking part in Red Flag, the world’s largest air force training exercise, hosted annually at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada.

Besides Israel and the American hosts, the current maneuvers also include the air forces of Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Spain.

During Red Flag, the participating nations are split into two teams before engaging in mock aerial combat, search and rescue, ground attacks and various other missions.

Last year, Israel was joined by the air forces of Singapore and Jordan. Reportedly, the Israeli delegation refueled a number of the Jordanian fighters midair during the long flight to the United States.

In addition to the unique and high-quality training opportunities afforded by Red Flag, the Israelis see it as a sort of diplomatic mission that allows them to forge connections with the armed forces of nations with which Israel has no formal diplomatic relations.