Arrival of Three Mirage 2000-5 in French Military Compound in United Arab Emirates

Arrival of Three Mirage 2000-5 in French Military Compound in United Arab Emirates (NSI News Source Info) October 4, 2008: On Wednesday, Oct. 1, three Mirage 2000-5 of the Groupe de Chasse 1/2 “Cigognes” fighter squadron based in Dijon, accompanied by a Boeing C 135F of the 93rd “Bretagne” In-Flight Refueling squadron based in Istres, took off from Istres for the United Arab Emirates, where they will be deployed on the Base Aérienne 104, a French military compound within the perimeter of the UAE air base at Al Dhafra.

Mirage 2000-5

The flight lasted less than seven hours. The establishment, on Sept. 1, of the BA 104 is the first step in the process to establish a permanent French military presence in the United Arab Emirates (designated IMFEAU), as agreed by the Memorandum of Understanding signed on Jan. 15, 2008 by French Defence Minister Hervé Morin, who accompanied French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his official visit to the UAE. The IMFEAU will ultimately comprise a naval support base, an army combat group and an air base. It is the concrete consequence of the strategic partnership concluded in 1995 by the two countries by the signature of bilateral agreements. The French Air Force Mirage 2000-5s will be deployed on Al Dhafra air base alongside the Mirage 2000-9s operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force.