Article

2015-02-24 Terror Networks

French Carrier Joins Fight as U.S. Reviews Anti-Jihadist Effort

[AnNahar] A French aircraft carrier launched operations in the Gulf against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group Monday as the new Pentagon chief summoned top generals and diplomats to Kuwait to review war efforts.

Washington forged a coalition of Western and Arab nations to confront IS after the Sunni Moslem myrmidon group seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and declared an Islamic "caliphate" last year. The coalition has since carried out more than 2,000 air strikes against the jihadists and La Belle France boosted its participation on Monday with the ~~Chicken of the Sea~~ Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier launching raids from the Gulf.

"This threat, jihadist terrorism, wants to reach our citizens, our interests, our values. La Belle France's response will be total firmness," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said as he launched operations seven weeks after myrmidon attacks killed 17 people in Gay Paree.

Carrying 12 Rafale and nine Super Etendard fighters, the carrier will spend eight weeks in the Gulf working alongside the USS Carl Vinson, significantly increasing French air capabilities in the region.

- Curbing IS expansion -
La Belle France, along with Australia, is a main contributor to the 32-member coalition effort aside from the United States, which is carrying out the bulk of strikes.

La Belle France and other Western nations are conducting operations over Iraq and several Arab nations are taking part in strikes over Syria.

The campaign aims to support forces in Iraq and Syria, including rebel fighters and Kurdish forces, battling IS on the ground and to hit infrastructure seized by the jihadist group such as oil facilities.

"Air support... for our Iraqi and Kurdish allies has helped curb the territorial expansion of (IS) and stabilise the front lines. This was our first objective and it has been attained," Le Drian said.

Posted by trailing wife 2015-02-24 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11141 views ] Top
File under: Islamic State

#1 Out of drydock at last! I'm gonna miss Marsielle!

Posted by Raj 2015-02-24 00:17|| 2015-02-24 00:17|| Front Page Top

#2 LOL, carrying two kinds of strike aircraft? How very 1982.

Posted by Shipman 2015-02-24 06:26|| 2015-02-24 06:26|| Front Page Top

#3 at least it's there

Posted by Frank G 2015-02-24 07:21|| 2015-02-24 07:21|| Front Page Top

#4 @Shipman. Nope. The Rafale is a high-performance fighter. The barely supersonic (Mach 1.3) is the attack aircraft.

BTW while the SuperHornet is able to carry a payload as big as the A6's I wonder what a SuperA6 with a modern powerplant would be able to carry. That and being more able at flying slow.

Posted by JFM 2015-02-24 09:22|| 2015-02-24 09:22|| Front Page Top

#5 However I admit you have the right to wonder why the CDG is carrying more fighters than attack aircreaft. In fact the Rafales are there for advertising since France has been trying to sell it for twenty years without any success for now. Don't know why since AFAIK it is a fine plane. Perhaps it came at the wrong moment: after the end of cold war and before the "stealth revolution".

Posted by JFM 2015-02-24 09:41|| 2015-02-24 09:41|| Front Page Top

#6 @JFM: the superlawndart might be able to carry the same weapons load as the Skypig, but without the many drop tanks it has a very short range. The A6f/g would have had the 5 bomb stations 2 missile pylons and either the -408 version on the J52 or the F404 engines. low and slow and all weather

Posted by USN, Ret. 2015-02-24 10:40|| 2015-02-24 10:40|| Front Page Top

#7 In fact the Rafales are there for advertising since France has been trying to sell it for twenty years without any success for now.

The Egyptians are considering them; no doubt the Gulf States are also having second thoughts about tying themselves to a "fundamentally transformed" U.S.

Posted by Pappy 2015-02-24 12:34|| 2015-02-24 12:34|| Front Page Top

#8 JFM the LOL was ironic since the USN has bet the wad on the F-18.

Posted by Shipman 2015-02-24 14:00|| 2015-02-24 14:00|| Front Page Top

#9 About USN's one plane fits all policy in France we says "Good for everything, good for nothing"

Posted by JFM 2015-02-24 14:07|| 2015-02-24 14:07|| Front Page Top

#10 The Entendards should be there for air to air fuel refueling of Rafales, it is also possible that remains also some recon version, but i doubt.

Posted by Lionel Thoth9784 2015-02-24 14:36|| 2015-02-24 14:36|| Front Page Top

#11 OTOH WORLD MILITARY FORUM > [Sputnik News] NATO-EU HAS NO MONEY, MILITARY REQUIREMENT TO BUY EX-RUSSIA "MISTRAL" AMPHIBIOUS CARRIERS FROM FRANCE.

Russia still proceeding wid unilater building = "reverse-engineering" its own MISTRAL-STYLE CARRIERS.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2015-02-24 21:05|| 2015-02-24 21:05|| Front Page Top

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