In an interview published in the Tuesday edition of French business daily La Tribune, Defense Minister Herve Morin said cooperation could include such joint deployment and more.“Beyond joint exercises, we are in favor of sharing the accompanying of aircraft carriers. A British frigate could perfectly well participate in the protection of the [French aircraft carrier] Charles de Gaulle and vice versa,” he said.
The leaders of France and Britain meet in early November and have been exploring ways in which cooperation on defense could work, especially as both governments are under pressure to cut costs and reduce big budget deficits.
“I’ve asked our military command to consider the feasibility of stationing British aircraft on our aircraft carrier and vice versa,” Morin said. “We’re looking into other areas such as refueling planes.”
Other areas he cited were joint maintenance and staff training for the A400M military transport aircraft and joint work on a “drone of the future.”
“And finally there’s the whole question of the European missile rationalization,” he said, citing cruise missiles and light anti-warship missiles.
