BRUSSELS, Sept. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A major international aerial exercise will be staged at Leeuwarden Air Force Base in the northern Netherlands on Monday, the Dutch Defense Ministry in The Hague said Friday.

    The exercise, "Frisian Flag 2005," will feature 38 fighter jets from five countries, and over the two-week period the planes will simulate the conditions experienced in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo, the ministry said.

    The Royal Netherlands Air Force's F-16 jets will be joined by F-18s from Finland, Saab Gripens from Sweden, German F-4 Phantoms and Jaguar fighter-bombers from Britain.

    A KDC-10 tanker from the base in the Dutch city of Eindhoven will be used to refuel the combat jets in the air. An AWACS warning and control aircraft is being contributed by the NATO basein Geilenkirchen, Germany.

    The ministry said the exercise is comparable to the "Red Flag" and "Red Maple" war games in the United States and Canada respectively.

    The majority of the missions during "Frisian Flag" will be flown over military exercise zones above the North Sea.

    The planes have to operate above 150 m and will not be allowed to fly at night or during weekends, the ministry said.   Enditem