Egyptian, French air forces conduct joint exercise in Egypt

CAIRO – 10 June 2021: Personnel of the air forces of each of Egypt and France conducted a joint exercise in an Egyptian air base, the Egyptian military spokesman Tamer El-Refae said on Thursday.

The training took place within the framework of the Armed Forces General Command’s plan to boost the level of training and exchange expertise with the armed forces of other sisterly and friendly countries, the spokesman said.

The training included executing attacks on vital targets and air clashes between the two sides with the participation of the latest models of multi-purpose fighters, Refae said.

The training reflected the high level the Egyptian and French forces have reached and allowed them to exchange training and tactical expertise in planning, execution, leadership and control.

“These trainings come in light of the growing partnership relations and military cooperation between the Egyptian and French armed forces,” Refae added.

Last month, the Egyptian and French naval forces have carried out drills in the southern fleet region.

Dubbed "Ramses 2021," the air forces of both countries also made joint exercises in an Egyptian airbase.

The drills saw the participation of Egypt's frigate Sajm El Fateh and France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Earlier in May, Egypt signed a contract with the French Dassault Aviation company to purchase 30 Rafale fighter jets, announced the Egyptian Armed Forces in a statement.

The deal will be financed by a loan that will be repaid over 10 years, the statement said, adding that Egypt had signed a contract in 2015 with France to get 24 Rafale fighter jets for the Egyptian Air Force. The 24 Rafale aircrafts were part of a deal valued at 5.3 billion euros ($5.9 billion). Rafale was first introduced in the French Air Defense in 2006.