KUALA LUMPUR: A substantial contingent of fighters and support aircraft is set to land at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang on Aug 5.
This deployment includes 23 aircraft from the French, German, and Spanish air forces, fresh from their three-week stint in Darwin, Australia, for Exercise Pitch Black 2024, which concludes tomorrow (Aug 2).
Dubbed Pacific Skies 2024, this trilateral sortie represents a combined deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French Air and Space Force, the German Air Force, and the Spanish Air and Space Force have collaborated on numerous exercises in the region, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance combat readiness.
Scheduled to arrive are 12 fighters (nine Eurofighter Typhoons – five German and four Spanish – and three French Rafales), five A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs), and six A400M military transports.
In a statement, the French Embassy in Malaysia emphasised that this combined deployment aligns with the EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific region. France, Germany, and Spain are key players in the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy.
The statement highlighted that the ability to deploy together and the interoperability among the three nations and their regional partners are central to this exercise.
This deployment is the latest in a series of large-force employment exercises undertaken by the three nations. Prior to Exercise Pitch Black, the Luftwaffe led a combined air exercise in Alaska, named Arctic Defender.
The next major exercise on the calendar is Tarang Shakti, the inaugural multinational air exercise organised by the Indian Air Force.
Pacific Skies 2024 aims to demonstrate the readiness and capabilities of the three nations and their regional partners, strengthen cooperation and partnerships, and engage in joint, high-intensity exercises. This effort supports a free, stable, and open Indo-Pacific, in accordance with international law, the statement concluded.