French MoD press release
The aircrafts joined the ‘Forbin’, which was operating in international waters south of Cyprus, to conduct an air defense exercise. This training allowed the pilots to conduct Very Low Altitude – Very High Speed training and to practice air-to-air combat with the support of radars and frigate’s operations center.
The ‘Forbin’ provided useful information to the fighters and ensured the safety of the whole exercise thanks to its control cell armed by a tactical controller. At the end of the meeting, the four fighters returned to their base in the MiddleEast where they are deployed as part of Operation CHAMMAL. The Forbin resumed its patrol in the area, ensuring the operational permanence of the French Navy in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the maritime component of Operation CHAMMAL.
This exercise for the Air Defence and Air Operations Command (ADAOC) demonstrated not only the interoperability between the French Iar Force and the French Navy, but also France’s ability to deploy resources and act with agility and unpredictability far from the mainland and the usual training grounds. This is not the first time this type of exercise has been conducted, the last one dating back to January 2021 with the interaction between the La Fayette-class frigate ‘Aconit’ and Rafales deployed in the Middle East.
This exercise also serves as a reminder of France’s commitment in the Mediterranean and its attachment to respecting international law and freedom of movement in international waters.
-End-
