The joint deployment of the Spanish Navy and the French National Navy in Brittany

@DefAviation ES 5·30·2024 · 23:49 0

After the naval stop in Gijón, the Expeditionary Combat Group "Dédalo 24" of the Spanish Navy has headed to Brittany.

NATO highlights and shows the 'air power' of the Spanish aircraft carrier 'Juan Carlos I'
The Harrier IIs of the Spanish Navy fly with F-16 and F-4E of the Hellenic Air Force

As we saw a month ago, the activation of that Combat Group was done at the beginning of April, being scheduled in three phases: the first along the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the second along the coasts of Italy and the third in the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. The Expeditionary Combat Group "Dédalo 24" is now in that third phase, specifically along the coast of Brittany.

El Grupo de Combate ha navegado hacia esa región occidental de Francia encabezado por el portaaeronaves "Juan Carlos I" L-61, el buque insignia de la Armada Española, acompañado por el buque de asalto anfibio "Galicia" L-51, la fragata "Santa María" F-81 y el buque escuela "Intermares" A-41 (sobre estas líneas), además de un ala aérea embarcada integrada, entre otras aeronaves, por los cazas EAV-8B+ Harrier II Plus de la 9ª Escuadrilla y helicópteros SH-60B de la 10ª Escuadrilla y AB-212 de la 3ª Escuadrilla de la Flotilla de Aeronaves (FLOAN).

Helicópteros 'Gato 'AB-212🚁 y 'Toro' SH-60 🚁 de la 3ª y 10ª Escuadrillas de @Armada_esp ⚓🇪🇸han realizado tomas en el buque francés 'Mistral' de @MarineNationale🇫🇷. Los helos 'Gazelle' y 'Tigre' de @armeedeterre lo han hecho en el portaaeronaves 'Juan Carlos I' #MOPS #DEDALO24 pic.twitter.com/mw3SQnzcey

— Estado Mayor Defensa 🇪🇸 (@EMADmde) May 30, 2024

The AB-212 of the 3rd Squadron are on their last deployment before being retired from service and the dissolution of their unit. On these lines we can see a video of the General Staff of the Defense (EMAD) in which a Spanish AB-212 lands on the amphibious assault ship "Mistral" L9013, which also participates in this exercise. A Spanish SH-60B Seahawk anti-submarine helicopter from the 10th Squadron also appears in the video.

Above these lines we can see the frigate "Santa María" on its journey to France. Once they arrived off the coast of Brittany, the Spanish ships participated in joint amphibious maneuvers with the French National Navy. The exercise, called "Barr Avel", has been organized by the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment (3ème RIMa) of the Troupes de Marine of the French Army.

It should be noted that the French Marine Infantry is not organized like the Spanish. The Spanish Marine Infantry is completely part of the Navy, while in France there are two different corps: the Fusiliers Marins (Naval Rifles, part of the Navy and equivalent to the Protection Force, FUPRO, of the Spanish Marine Infantry) and the Troupes de Marine (Marine Troops, which despite their name, are part of the Army and are the equivalent of the Tercio de Armada, the expeditionary force of the Spanish Marine Infantry).

Here we see an LCM-1E landing craft of the Spanish Navy operating next to the flood dock of the French ship "Mistral". 400 Spanish and French soldiers have participated in this exercise, as reported by the French National Navy. The exercise took place on the Quiberon peninsula, in southern Brittany. The Spanish Navy has published a series of photos on Instagram and the French Navy has published two series of photos (here and here) on its Facebook page. You can see them here.

The training ship "Intermares" seen from the bridge of the amphibious assault ship "Galicia" on its journey to France.

A CTM landing craft of the French National Navy embarking soldiers of the 3rd Marine Regiment of the French Army. Inside the boat is a French VAB armored personnel carrier, armed with a 12.7 mm Browning M-2 machine gun.

Two Spanish marines in an LCM-1E landing craft. In the background we see the landing of a French Arquus Trapper VT4 all-terrain vehicle, a militarized version of the Ford Everest.

French and Spanish soldiers aboard the amphibious assault ship "Mistral", with the national flags of both countries behind.

A Spanish LCM-1E landing craft, the L-605, operating from the flood dock of the amphibious assault ship "Mistral".

Spanish Marines guiding an LCM-1E landing craft to the beach in Brittany, during this exercise.

In the following two photos we can see air operations on the aircraft carrier "Juan Carlos I". The photos show the flight deck shot of two EAV-8B+ Harrier II Plus fighters of the 9th Squadron.

In this second photo we also see an AB-212 helicopter of the 3rd Squadron behind the ship "Juan Carlos I".