Pakistan, France to hold joint air exercises on April 11
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, April 8, IRNA
Pakistan-France-Air exercises
Pakistan and France will hold joint air exercises on April 11 (Tuesday), the first of a series that will enable French and Pakistani forces to train together, a French embassy statement said on Friday.
On Tuesday, April 11, the French Carrier Group with the nuclear- powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will hold a series of exercises centered on air defence with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the statement said.
The exercises will oppose the PAF aircraft to the Rafale and Super Etendard embarked on the carrier, it said.
They will carry out attack and defence missions on sea and over land in the vicinity of Karachi.
A VIP trip to be launched Monday will enable Pakistani Service officials to discover the Charles de Gaulle in action and provide the setting for various last minute briefings.
After the dedicated exercise with the PAF, the French Carrier Group will carry out exercises with the Pakistan Navy involving submarines and surface vessels next May.
The presence of the Carrier Group gives a rare opportunity to train with the neighboring states of the area. It has thus conducted an exercise with Saudi Arabia and India and will do so with Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in addition to undertaking various interactions with Qatar and Yemen.
The Carrier Group is present in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf on a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the statement said.
With Pakistan being a frontline state in the struggle against terrorism, the Group sees an excellent opportunity to carry out exercises with the Pakistani services, a big first with the PAF, which is the airforce other than France that flies the largest number of French aircraft in the world, and with the Pakistan Navy building on 40 years of cooperation.
It is worth mentioning that in May and June 2005 a task group from the Pakistan Navy held various exercises with the French Navy in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.
2020/235/2321/1414
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