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| India-Pakistan |
| Indo-French joint naval exercises starts tomorrow |
| 2006-04-01 |
| VASCO: India and France will carry out joint naval exercises off the Goa coast from tomorrow where aircraft carriers, fighter aircraft and submarines would display their prowess and tone up compatibility between the forces of the two countries. French multi-mission aircraft Rafale and Modernised Super Etendards (MSE) will test its skills against Indian Navy's Sea Harriers and Air Force's Jaguar maritime fighters in seven-day exercises in which French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and Indian aircraft carrier Viraat would participate. The French navy has despatched its nuclear submarine Saphir, and a fleet of 25 aircraft including multi-mission Rafale, MSEs, Dauphin and Lynx helicopters, Advanced Airborne Warning and Air Control Systems (AWACS) Hawkeye and air surveillance aircraft Atlantique II for the exercises. Besides Viraat, the Indian task force would comprise guided-missile destroyers Mumbai and Gomti, tanker Aditya and submarine Shankul. The two navies would tone up compatibility with a special stress on improving communications during the exercise conducted 200 nautical miles off the Goa coast which would also include air-to-ground bombing. A senior French Naval officer said there were some problems on account of communication between the two navies which were being corrected very fast. "We have been following the NATO and Western systems of communication, while India has been using the Russian systems," he said adding there was "fast improvement" on this front. "Otherwise, the compatibility between the two navies is very perfect. They have been able to work together. Indian Navy is very professional," he said. The officer said language was not a problem during the joint exercises as French officers and sailors now speak English as per the requirement. The advanced exercises, the seventh of the series, would involve various air manoeuvres including dissimilar air combat, fleet air defence, intermediate and advanced anti-submarine warfare and maritime inderdiction operations. During the exercises, the Navy's Sea Harriers would operate sorties from the French carrier. |
| Posted by:john |
| #1 India might actually sink a French ship on accident. |
| Posted by: Charles 2006-04-01 22:35 |