France’s helicopter carrier Dixmude will take part in military drills in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean alongside ships of the Japanese maritime self-defense forces and the Australian, Indian and US navies, media reported on Friday.
The Dixmude will set off from France on February 8 and is expected to participate in different military exercises over the next 150 days, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. In April, the ship will join drills in the Indian Ocean, together with forces from Japan, Australia, India and the US, the media outlet reported.
“Our mission this year will cross all oceans, and in particular, the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, which in many ways are strategic hotspots,” the ship’s captain, Emmanuel Mocard, was quoted by the broadcaster as saying.
Mocard added that the French ship was capable of countering any threats, and that cooperation with allies, particularly Japan, had been “efficient and effective.”
