Egypt, France naval, air forces carry out joint drills

CAIRO – 10 May 2021: 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 as part of an Egyptian Armed Forces' plan for joint cooperation with friendly states to share training expertise.

 

The drills seek to hone the skills of commanders and officers, exchange relevant expertise, and speed up the implementation of planned missions.

The joint drills also aim to boost military cooperation between both countries and maintain maritime security and stability in the region.

 

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.

 

Reuters reported that the new deal is worth 3.75 billion euro ($4.5 billion).

The aircraft has a multi-sensor data fusion, and “has the potential to integrate a variety of current and future armaments.”

Rafale jets in Egypt took part in training activities, securing Egyptian vital areas, operations to combat terrorism, and aviation shows when inaugurating Mohamed Naguib airbase, the largest in MENA region.