On August 10 and 11, the French contingent was welcomed for a brief technical halt at Air Force Station Sulur while on a long-distance deployment from Paris to the Pacific Ocean.
As part of a mega military operation it conducted in the Pacific Ocean, a French Air and Space Force contingent, which included three Rafale jets, made a strategically significant stopover at the Indian Air Force’s Sulur base in Tamil Nadu.
The assistance given by the Indian Air Force to the French force was a direct result of the reciprocal logistics support contract that France and India inked in 2018 to advance their military ties. According to a French readout from Thursday, the cooperation with the Indian Air Force showed a high degree of interoperability and mutual trust between the two sides.
It said that on August 10 and 11, while on a long-distance deployment from metropolitan France to the Pacific Ocean, the French force was hosted for a technical stop at Air Force Station Sulur.
From August 10 to September 18, the French Air and Space Force will be engaged in a significant long-range mission in the Indo-Pacific, code-named Pegase 22. The mission’s first phase, as described in the statement, aims to demonstrate France’s capability for long-distance air power projection by deploying an Air Force contingent from metropolitan France to the French territory of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean in less than 72 hours between 10th to 12th August.
According to the statement, the Air Force contingent undertook a technical layover in India, at Air Force Station Sulur, to realise this historic 16,600-km deployment. There are three Rafale jets in the force, along with support aircraft. The readout noted that it landed at Air Force Station Sulur on August 10th evening and flew away in the early hours of August 11th after refuelling, en route to New Caledonia.
Strategic partnership
The use of Rafale jets by both the French and Indian Air Forces during the operation further boosted the high level of mutual confidence and interoperability. The readout highlighted that the two air forces’ cooperation showed how the reciprocal logistics support agreement was being concretely implemented.
French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain praised the IAF’s contribution to the operation’s success. He referred to India as France’s “foremost strategic partner in Asia” and said it was only natural that France should rely on India to complete this objective. He remarked that France is the resident power of the Indo-Pacific, and this ambitious long-distance air power projection demonstrates their commitment to the region and partners.
The French Air Force will partake in the “Pitch Black” air exercise in Australia from August 17 to September 10 as part of Mission Pegase 22’s subsequent phases. This multinational activity will also encompass participation from the Indian Air Force, Australia, Japan, the United States, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and South Korea.
Mission Pegase 22 serves as a strong illustration of France’s competence to deploy rapidly in the Indo-Pacific. The readout in French said that the expedition serves as further evidence that the French and European commitment to the Indo-Pacific has not been affected by the security situation in Europe. In this regard, it also seeks to improve ties with significant strategic partners.
