“Cleopatra 2021”joint Egyptian-French maritime training exercises started Monday in the range of the Northern Fleet’s theatre of operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

The joint training exercises will continue for several days in Egyptian territorial waters, with the Egyptian helicopter carrier “Anwar Sadat” of the Mistral class, the frigate “Sajm Al-Fateh”, and the missile launcher “Soliman Ezzat” taking part.

This is in addition to a number of multi-tasking combat aircraft and helicopters, as well as elements of the Thunderbolt maritime forces who also participated in the training.

On the French side, a Mistral helicopter carrier and several Navy thunderbolts took part in the training.

Numerous training exercises are scheduled to be carried out, to improve the skills of commanders and officers.

The joint exercise aims to allow for the exchange of experience between the Egyptian and French Navies, as well as securing maritime shipping lines against various threats.

It also aims to achieve homogeneity between the participating elements, standardize operational concepts, and speed up the implementation of the planned tasks.

These also come as part of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ joint training plan with friendly countries, to enhance the prospects of military cooperation and exchange training experiences.

The joint Egyptian-French Maritime Training exercises give the opportunity to contribute to the identification of the latest systems and methods of maritime combat. It also aims to maximize the joint utilization of the forces implementing the training.