Around the world for around twenty French military aircraft. From June 27 to August 15, the Air and Space Force is participating in the Pégase mission, which will take it to visit some thirteen countries. This “shows that we have changed dimension in terms of our ability to project air power quickly and far,” insists General Guillaume Thomas, commander of the air operations brigade, and head of the Pégase 24 mission, which starts this Thursday.
The Air Force will deploy seven Rafales from France, five A330 MRTT tanker aircraft (Multi role tanker transport) and four A400M (transport of equipment and troops), which will take two air routes, one towards the west, the other towards the east, to meet in Australia before returning to mainland France . Several stopovers are planned on each of these routes, notably to participate in high-intensity aerial exercises, such as Arctic Defender in Alaska from July 6 to 17, and Tarang Shakti in India from August 6 to 13. The French crews will also meet at the mega Pitch Black exercise in Australia, from July 12 to August 3.
Reduce intervention times for French forces
“The MRTT, A400M and Rafale triptych is changing the way we conduct air operations and reducing time and distances,” explains General Thomas. “We are thus projecting ourselves very quickly to the Pacific, with the aim of being as light as possible and minimizing the logistical impact.”
During Pégase in 2021, the Air Force sent three Rafales, two MRTTs and two A400Ms “in less than 40 hours to Polynesia. » A record. “We also completed a direct flight between France and Travis Airforce Base in California in twelve hours, with four refuelings in the air. » In 2022, “we deployed a system in New Caledonia in less than 72 hours, with very short stopovers,” adds General Thomas. A premonitory exercise, since the Air Force had to organize an airlift in New Caledonia a month ago, due to violent clashes on the island, and when the airports had to be closed.
In Alaska, a “very realistic” training ground
“This year, we will be less focused on speed,” continues General Thomas. On the Pacific Skies Loop [ouest], we will stop in Alaska before reaching Australia. And on the Griffin Strike loop [est], which also joins Australia, we will stop in the United Arab Emirates and Singapore beforehand. We are playing more on international cooperation and the duration of partnerships. »
The French will notably take off on Thursday with German and Spanish crews, the three nations of the Scaf project (Air Combat System of the Future). “This will be an opportunity to discuss this project which is not just an aircraft, underlines General Thomas, it is an entire system, and this deployment will allow us to work on mission planning and cross-maintenance. , since all three nations use the A400M. This strengthens our ability to work together, and to better define this Scaf objective. »
Once in Alaska, the European crews will participate in the Arctic Defender exercise, for a period of three weeks, “where we will benefit from airspace and a field of action that cannot be found in Europe , since the volume allocated to us will be the equivalent of practically half of France, from the ground to an almost unlimited altitude. We will have very realistic training conditions, with opposition provided by US Air Force assets, including F18s, F35s, and B52 bombers, and the use of real and simulated ground-to-air systems, very realistic. This exercise will also allow us to test the latest version of the Rafale, the 4.1. »
At the end of its stopover in Australia, this air component will return to mainland France via stopovers in Indonesia, the Philippines, Qatar and Egypt.
In Australia for “very high intensity exercise”
The other loop, which will take the Griffin Strike route with a British crew, will leave France on July 6 and arrive in Australia on July 10 to participate in Pitch Black. “It is a very high-intensity exercise organized every two years by Australia,” General Thomas explains. “Eighteen countries are participating, including India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the United States, and it will bring together 2,500 airmen and a hundred aircraft from July 10 to August 5.”
On its return to France, this component will stop in India for the Tarang Shakti exercise, then will support “our overseas forces” through, in particular, a stopover on Reunion Island, and in New Caledonia. “depending on current events. » It is also an opportunity for France to show its presence in the “Indo-Pacific”, a vast area covering the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the scene of growing international tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The Rafales deployed by the Air Force this summer will take off from the bases of Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) and Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne), the A400Ms from Orléans (Loiret), and the MRTTs from Istres (Bouches-du-Rhône).