Image source: topwar.ru
The use of a large airborne assault requires a large fleet of military transport aircraft. With its loss, such maneuvers became impossible in all European countries. Against this background, Paris decided to show its ability to conduct such operations.
The preparation for the relevant exercises ended abysmally. During the rehearsal in September 2022, the match suffered, and the servicemen were injured, and therefore it was interrupted.
Full-fledged maneuvers took place in February 2023. As indicated in the Air edition & Cosmos, a total of 2 thousand fighters were dropped during the air landing, and 600 of them – on the first day. Exercises of this scale have not been held since 1988.
Set Airport acted as the starting point of the 11th Parachute Brigade. This connection is equipped with 8 Airbus A400M Atlas, 3 Lockheed Martin C-130J and 2 Casa 235, but only 6 Atlas and C-130J were involved, which performed numerous flights to the area of Castres airport at a distance of 150 km. The heaviest dumped equipment was the TC910 engineering vehicle weighing 7.8 tons .
Image source: topwar.ru
Among the dropped units were security units, medical units, artillery, engineers. Each paratrooper from the first wave is equipped with one 81-mm ammunition for mortars with a range of 5700 m, since in addition to these weapons, only Eryx and MMP ATGMs are equipped.
The special forces were engaged in the "destruction" of SA-18 MANPADS calculations [Igla]. After the first detachments took control of the airport and removed obstacles, planes with the main forces and heavy equipment began to arrive at the runway, "which cannot be landed," including VAB, Griffon armored vehicles and AMX10RC tanks. The VTS was supported by AWACS aircraft and fighter jets, which were guided from the ground by JTAC [advanced aircraft manufacturers] teams.
In the other direction, two landing helicopter carriers Mistral and Tonnerre were involved. About 50 commandos and equipment were landed on 2 Caïman [NH90] helicopters with the support of 2 Tiger strike aircraft, allowing them to observe and destroy the enemy and adjust air strikes on him. After that, the main forces of the 6th Light Armored Brigade were transferred by watercraft.
Image source: topwar.ru
- the publication says.
For our part, we note that these exercises can hardly be called proof of France's preservation of a significant amphibious potential. A few units participated in the air landing, and then not at the same time, but during several approaches of only six military transport aircraft. The main forces of the compound were transferred to the airbase by landing method. At the same time, both types of landing took place in conditions of an insignificant anti-aircraft threat, represented by only a few MANPADS calculations. In the case of using this tactic in a real conflict (and not necessarily with an equivalent opponent), the French command would hardly be able to be proud of the results of such an operation.
