The French Air Force and External Force Contingent, including three Rafale jet, made a strategic stopper at the IAF Sulur Pangkalan in Tamil Nadu as part of the Mega Military Operation which was carried out in the Pacific Ocean.
The support given by the Indian Air Force to the French force reflects the implementation of the reciprocal logistics support agreement signed by France and India in 2018 to increase military cooperation. The French reading said on Thursday that cooperation with the Indian Air Force showed a high level of mutual trust and interoperability between the two parties.
It was said that the French contingent was held for technical stopover at the Sulur Air Force Station on August 10 and 11 during long distance distribution from France’s metropolitan to the Pacific Ocean.
The French air force and outer space are carrying out the main long distance mission in Indo-Pacific, named Pegase 22, from August 10 to September 18.
“The first stage of this mission aims to show the capacity of France for long-distance air power projections by spreading the air force contingent from French metropolitan to the new France Kaledonia in the Pacific Ocean in less than 72 hours (10-12 August),” the statement said .
“To achieve the spread of 16,600 km that has never happened before, the Air Force contingent made a technical stopover in India, at the Sulur Air Force Station,” he said. The contingent consists of three Rafale jet and supporting aircraft. “Landing at the Sulur Air Force Station on August 10, it flew in the early hours of August 11 after filling fuel, on the way to Kaledonia Baru,” the reading said. This operation shows a high level of reciprocal confidence and interoperability between French and Indian air forces, which has been further encouraged by the fact that the two air forces are now flying Jet Rafale, “he said.
The reading mentions the cooperation between the two air force illustrates the “concrete” implementation of the mutual logistics support agreement. “France is the power of Indo-Pacific population, and the projection of ambitious long-distance air power shows our commitment to our territory and partners,” said French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain, praising the role of IAF in successful operations. He said it was natural that carrying out this mission, France relied on India, and described it as “the most important strategic partner in Asia”.
In the following stages of Mission Pegase 22, the French Air Force contingent will take part in the “Black Pitch” air training which takes place in Australia from August 17 to September 10. The Indian Air Force will also participate in this multilateral training, along with Australia, Japan, US, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, England, and South Korea.
Mission Pegase 22 is a strong demonstration of France’s capacity for rapid spread in Indo-Pacific. “This mission is also proof that the security situation in Europe does not reduce the commitment of France and Europe in Indo-Pacific. In this case, this also aims to strengthen relations with the main strategic partners, “said the French reading.