Egypt and France began Sunday the Ramses 2016 joint military air and naval exercises in the Mediterranean, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense.
The exercises will last for several days in the Egyptian territorial waters and aerospace. French-made Frigate “Live Egypt” will participate for the first time in the joint drills; French Rafale and Alpha fighter jets, as well as U.S. F-16 jets will join the fleet, the statement added.
In June 2015, the Egyptian navy received a European multipurpose frigate from a shipyard in Lorient, western France, weighing 6,000 tons measuring 142 meters long. In January, the Egyptian air fleet received six out of 24 Rafale fighter jets per a $5.9-billion deal signed in February between both countries.
Egypt will receive two Mistral helicopter Carriers from France in June and September, an anonymous source told AFP on Feb. 6, 2016.
