A Dassault Aviation Rafale jet fighter performs during the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget near Paris on June 23, 2017. (Source: AFP)Hanoi (VNA) - A detachment of combataircraft of the French Air Force ison a visit to Vietnam from August 26-28, the French Embassy in Vietnamannounced at a press conference on August 27 in Hanoi.
Speaking at the conference, General Patrich Charaix, Commander of the deploymentcode-named PEGASE 2018 said theFrench Air Force organised and coordinated the Mission Pegase in the Indo-Pacific region, with theinvolvement of three Dassault Rafale fighters, one Airbus A400M strategicairlifter, one Boeing C-135FR Stratotanker, and one Airbus A310 passengertransport aircraft.
The French Air Force mobilised 100 personnel for the deployment, he noted.
After taking partin the exercise Pitch Black (July 27 - August 17) in Australia, onits return journey to France, this squadron has been making visitsto Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and India, and the UnitedArab Emirates.
According to General Patrich Charaix, the visits aim to strengthenFrance’s presence in the region, contributing to deepening its relations withkey regional strategic countries.
They offered a good chance for France and the countries topromote exchange and experience sharing, as well as boost their future cooperationin military training.
The chargé d’affaires of the French Embassyin Hanoi, Olivier Sigaud said the squadron’s visit to Vietnam is part of activities tocelebrate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties(1973-2018), and the five years of their strategic partnership (2023-2018).
The event illustrates the dynamic France-Vietnam defence ties, he stressed.
Choosing Vietnam as a stop of the squadron shows that Francehighly values Vietnam’s importance and position in the bilateral cooperationbetween the two countries, he added.
The PEGASE 2018 is the largest French Air Force deployment tothe region since six Dassault Mirage 2000s were deployed to the region in 2004,where they also took part in an earlier iteration of Exercise Pitch Black.-VNA
VNA
