All branches of the Armed Forces participated, including the Quick Reaction Force of the Presidential Guard, supported by the UAE Joint Aviation Command, the Navy, the Air Force, Air Defence and the Army. Antonie Robertson / The National
The event was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and sheikhs, military commanders and officials. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi
Complete with paratroopers, helicopters, surveillance aircraft, submarines, fighter jets and ground combat, Union Fortress – an Armed Forces event which included a mock hostage rescue from a ship off Abu Dhabi Corniche – was like something out of a movie. Antonie Robertson / The National
From right: Lt Gen Obaid Al Kaabi, former undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, Dr Mohamed Saeed Al Badi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon, Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Hamad and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, chairman of Masdar and chief executive of Adnoc Group, attend the military exercise. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi
As UAE soldiers ‘rescued’ hostages during the exercise, fighter jets flew across the Corniche, in a mock show of strafing targets on the ground. Antonie Robertson / The National
Sheikh Ahmed bin Tahnoon, Chairman of the National Service Authority, second right, and Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan, third right, attend the military exercise. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi
A narrator set the scene for the exercise, explaining the objectives of the display before four paratroopers jumped from an aircraft. Antonie Robertson / The National
From right: Mohamed Ahmad Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, Chairman of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, watch the the Armed Forces put on a show. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter circles in front of the crowds on the Corniche after having dropped a special forces team in a low flying manoeuvre. Antonie Robertson / The National
All branches of the Armed Forces participated, including the Quick Reaction Force of the Presidential Guard, supported by the UAE Joint Aviation Command, the Navy, the Air Force, Air Defence and the Army. Antonie Robertson / The National