Egypt and France on Saturday finalized the “Cleopatra 2018” naval exercises, one of the biggest joint marine exercises to have taken place in the Red Sea, as part of the Egyptian armed forces plan for training with allied countries, during which troops launched a landing operation on an island.
Egypt’s Army Chief-of-Staff Mohamed Farid, the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Navy Lieutenant General Ahmed Khaled, and the commander of the French forces attended the final stage of the exercise.
Farid praised strong Egyptian-French relations and how they led to military cooperation between the two countries. The exercise included drills using Mistral-class helicopter carriers, frigates and special marine units as well as combat activities being used in the comprehensive military operation Sinai 2018.
Farid thanked all the participants from both sides for their outstanding performance and professionalism in the implementation of the operations, some of which were carried out for the first time.
Several naval units including a French Mistral-Class helicopter carrier, frigates, rocket launchers and anti-submarine aircrafts were used in the training.
The exercise included the implementation of several activities, including formations for sailing during day and night, while demonstrating the ability of participating naval units to take positions with a high degree of accuracy and speed.
It also included training on the take-off and landing of helicopters, as well as fighting naval battles at sea. Exercises were conducted in securing offshore units using air-defense weapons, securing lines of communication and the movement of maritime transport.
