In a statement, Colonel Tamer al-Refai said the militants were plotting hostile acts against Egyptian targets.
"The operation took place upon intelligence information… that confirmed the presence of a cell in the western desert preparing for hostile acts," al-Refai said.
Eight "terrorists" were killed and a hideout that contained an amount of arms and ammunition was wiped out in the airstrike.
The reported data could not be independently verified.
Over the past two years, the Egyptian military has announced thwarting several attempts to smuggle weapons into the country through the Libyan border.
