Official creation of Franco-German C-130J squadron.

On 30 August 2021, the German Minister of Defence Mrs. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer met with her French counterpart, Mrs. Florence Parly, in Paris. On this occasion, the two ministers signed the second Inter-governmental agreement on Franco-German cooperation in the field of tactical air transport.

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Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules at Evreux-Fauville Air Base. The four French aircraft have been operational and based at Evreux since June 2021 (Picture source: French Air and Space Force)

It aims at creating a bi-national squadron and training centre on the Evreux air base, with the purpose of operating a fleet of C-130J aircrafts. This signature will enable the official creation of the Franco-German squadron on 1 September 2021. The squadron will consist of 10 C-130J aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin, including six from Germany and four from France.

Resulting from works launched in 2016, this bi-national tactical airlift fleet is a new major area of cooperation between France and Germany. It will contribute to strengthening the interoperability of both Armed Forces. Within this unit, French and German soldiers will be able to work in mixed teams, without distinction of nationality. While retaining the possibility of carrying out missions within a purely national framework, this is the first time an air force squadron is able to carry out operational missions with mixed crews, on French and German aircrafts. This creation should be considered as a major achievement.

Initial operational capability should be reached in autumn 2021 with the establishment of the unit in Evreux, and full operational capability in 2024.

Mrs. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (left) and  Mrs. Florence Parly (right) signing the second Inter-governmental agreement on Franco-German cooperation in the field of tactical air transport (Picture source: French Minister for the Armed Forces Twitter account)