(MENAFN) Tuesday saw the departure of 13 German military aircraft on a mission to Australia as Germany seeks to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific area in light of escalating tensions with China.
As part of the mission known as Rapid Pacific 2022, the six Eurofighters and seven military transport planes were scheduled to touch down in Singapore on Tuesday before continuing on to Australia.
According to the Luftwaffe German air force, the fleet will participate in training exercises in Australia and Singapore before making pit stops in Japan and South Korea on the way back to Germany.
The first deployment of the Luftwaffe to the area occurs at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and the West after China began military exercises around Taiwan following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the autonomous island earlier this month.
According to the German army, the mission's objective is for the Luftwaffe to "test its interoperability with friends inside and outside NATO in the Indo-Pacific."
MENAFN19082022000045011137ID1104724079
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.