India And France In Defence Clinch, In Air And On Sea

November 15, 2022 admn2017

Nov 9, 2022

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari with Chief of French Air & Space Force General Stéphane Mille during ‘Garuda VII’ in Jodhpur.

NEW DELHI: India and France are now set to undertake a joint maritime surveillance mission in thesouthern Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as part of their robust strategic partnership, even as their air force chiefs took to the skies in fighters during the ongoing `Garuda’ air combat exercise in Jodhpur on Tuesday.

Officials said a P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy has touched down at the strategically-located La Réunion, a French overseas island east of Madagascar and southwest of Mauritius, for coordinated surveillance and ocean-mapping operations with the French Navy “to further enhance maritime domain awareness, security and safety in the southern IOR”.

This becomes important in the backdrop of China, which has the world’s largest Navy with 355 warships and submarines, actively scouting for logistical facilities in the IOR after establishing its first overseas base at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa in 2017.

Concurrently, in the ongoing seventh edition of the bilateral Garuda exercise at Jodhpur, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari flew in a Rafale jet, while FASF chief General Stéphane Mille undertook a sortie in a Sukhoi-30MKI on Tuesday.

For bolstering military interoperability, apart from Garuda, the two countries also regularly conduct the `Varuna’ exercise between their navies and `Shakti’ between their armies.

The 18-day Garuda exercise, which will conclude on November 12, has seen FASF deploy four Rafale fighters and one A-330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft, along with a contingent of 220 personnel.

For bolstering military interoperability, apart from Garuda, the two countries also regularly conduct the `Varuna’ exercise between their navies and `Shakti’ between their armies.

Courtesy: TOI