The first Franco-German air transport squadron began its service in Evreux on Wednesday.
"A concrete, important step forward for a Europe of defense", praised the French Secretary of State for Europe Clément Beaune.
"For the first time, 260 German and French soldiers will work hand in hand to fly ten Hercules transport planes," said French Defense Minister Florence Parly.
She praised the project as a milestone in building a European defense capacity.
Michaela Wiegel
Political correspondent based in Paris.
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Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU), who had traveled to Paris to sign the contract, however, refrained from drawing attention to the project.
According to the German embassy in Paris, the Defense Ministry in Berlin expressly did not want a presentation.
Training in Normandy
The reason for the reluctance could be the fact that so far only France has provided the Lockheed C-130J aircraft used by the squadron. Germany will not receive its first Super Hercules transport aircraft until next February. Until then, the Bundeswehr soldiers of the first bi-national Hercules association in Europe will be flying with the four French aircraft that were delivered between January 2018 and February 2020. The full target strength of ten aircraft and 300 soldiers from both countries is to be achieved in 2024.
In contrast to the Franco-German Brigade, founded in 1989, which cannot operate as a mixed unit due to German restrictions on operational rules, the Transport Squadron aims at complete integration. German mechanics can service a French aircraft, which then takes off with a binational team. A joint training and education center is also under construction.
In the medium term, the pilots and flight crews should no longer be able to be trained as they are currently in the USA, but in Normandy.
The companies Thales and Rheinmetall should be responsible for the certification.
A separate command center and modern hangars were built for the transport squadron at the French air force base in Evreux.
The Bundeswehr soldiers and their families are welcomed with open arms by the city administration in Normandy.
A separate counter for all administrative procedures in the town hall should make it easier for Germans to get started.
The range of lessons has also been realigned with European classes for German children.
Decisive role for the USA?
Germany and France will each invest 110 million euros in the new infrastructure for the transport aircraft unit by 2024. At the end of the year, the last Transall of the Air Force are to be retired. This creates a gap, because the European A400 M transport aircraft is often not suitable for crisis operations in areas with short runways. That is why the Department of Defense decided to order six Super Hercules transport aircraft from the American manufacturer Lockheed. Three of these are tanker versions to improve the much-needed air refueling capabilities. Two of the French Super Hercules are also tankers.
A Super Hercules of the new flight squadron took part in the traditional military parade on July 14th. The head of the French Air Force, General Philippe Lavigne, said on the occasion: "Our integration is very advanced." France sees the transport flight squadron as part of the effort to achieve more strategic autonomy for Europe. Kramp-Karrenbauer had recently rejected this goal in an article for the Internet publication Politico. “The illusion of European strategic autonomy must come to an end. The Europeans cannot replace the crucial role of the US in guaranteeing security, ”she wrote.