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French military operations in Tadjikistan to bolster NATO ground forces in neighboring Afghanistan are now in high gear. Although the French have been operating from Dushanbe since 2002, the arrival of the Rafale F2 strike fighter has put the operation in the spotlight. For the French combat aircraft, the deployment of the F2 in Dushanbe and on the French navy Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier marks the combat debut in its air-to-ground role – the navy had an air-to-air deployment to Afghanistan before, but in the absence of an air threat, there wasn’t much to do. The navy F2s actually were first to see action in Afghanistan, this time, dropping GBU-12 bombs in late March in support of Dutch forces in southern Afghanistan. The air force Rafales followed with their first weapons drops April 1 – Mirage 2000s performed the laser designating, because Rafale will not get its own pod to self designate until next year. For the French, the deployment is as much about politics in the run-up to presidential elections this month, as about getting their fighter into operations and winning bragging rights over the direct European competition – the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen, who have had success on the export market, where Rafale has had none. The French air force Rafales will be the backbone of French air combat power here, since the navy is withdrawing its carrier mid-month because it’s due for overhaul. In addition, the French are trying to be good visitors, and are working with their host country on search-and-rescue operations – NATO would provide combat search-and-rescue functions in Afghanistan. The SAR operations with the Tadjik military involved a Mil Mi-18 helicopter, and examined high-altitude operations around 6,000 ft. above sea-level.
--Robert Wall
(Photos courtesy of SIRPA)
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