French Rafales Begin 40-Day Global Deployment
Four French Rafale fighters have departed Istres Air Base for a 40-day deployment spanning the Arctic, Indo-Pacific, and Middle East, according to the Associated Press.
Known as Pegase 26, the mission will cover approximately 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles), cross three continents, and include nine stopovers.
Two single-seat and two twin-seat Rafales are supported by three A330 MRTT tanker aircraft, two A400M transports, and around 300 personnel.
The deployment is intended to test France’s ability to move and sustain combat aircraft far from home while improving coordination with partner air forces.
During the first leg, the fighters flew over Greenland before reaching Alaska, completing an almost 11-hour journey with five aerial refuelings.
They subsequently trained with US fighter aircraft.
The mission will continue through the Indo-Pacific, with activities involving Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and India.
The aircraft will then transit the Gulf through Qatar before concluding the deployment in Egypt.
Strategic Context
France has conducted Pegase deployments since 2018, but this is the first to follow a northern route over Greenland toward Alaska.
French commanders told AP that the route offers an alternative way to reach the Indo-Pacific while giving crews experience operating in Arctic conditions.
The mission comes amid intensifying tensions in the High North.
US President Donald Trump’s statements about taking control of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, have heightened tensions within NATO.
Russia has meanwhile criticized the alliance’s growing presence in the region.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently said NATO’s Arctic exercises threaten Russian security and could increase the likelihood of military confrontation.
