(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief, General Tan Sri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan, piloted the Su-30MKM fighter jet to conduct a Photo Exercise (PHOTEX) alongside the French Air Force’s Rafale and the German and Spanish Air Forces’ Eurofighter Typhoons.
One of the Eurofighter Typhoons was flown by the Chief of the German Air Force, Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz.
The RMAF chief flew the Su-30MKM to welcome the visit of his German Air Force counterpart and the PACIFIC SKIES 2024 delegation, which included members from the German, French, and Spanish Air Forces, who made a stop in Malaysia yesterday.
The assets involved included 12 fighter jets: nine Eurofighter Typhoons, with five belonging to the German Air Force and four to the Spanish Air Force, and three Rafale jets from the French Air Force.
Other aircraft included five Airbus A330 Multi-role Transport Tankers (MRTT) and four Airbus A400M tactical transport aircraft.
The PACIFIC SKIES 2024 delegation was welcomed at Subang Air Base by RMAF deputy chief Lt. Gen. Dato’ Sri Haji Muhamad Norazlan Aris and Air Operations Commander Lt. Gen. Datuk Mohd Shahada Ismail.
Ambassadors from the three involved nations were also present.
During the event, there were courtesy calls on the Air Chiefs from the three countries to discuss defense diplomacy and strengthen bilateral relations.
The event concluded with a tour of the aircraft by the Air Force Chief and the attending guests.
On June 27, the German, French, and Spanish Air Forces began a historic deployment of 48 aircraft across the globe to participate in air exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Called “PACIFIC SKIES 2024,” this deployment allows the three Air Forces to join regional allies in air exercises.
The 58,000 km air deployment spans four continents from June 27 to August 15, featuring participation in the Arctic Defender exercise in Alaska, Nippon Skies in Japan, Pitch Black in Australia, and Tarang Shakti 1 in India. The German Air Force will also participate in RIMPAC 2024 in Hawaii.
“By participating in PACIFIC SKIES 24, we are showing our presence in a region that is very important to all of us,” said Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of the German Air Force.
“We will be deployed to the Indo-Pacific alongside Spain and France to join five different air exercises.” – DSA