Rafales to operate from USS George H.W. Bush

USNI News has learned from French officials that a contingent of French sailors and naval aviators will deploy aboard American carrier USS George H.W. Bush from April to May this year.

By MC2 Tyler Caswell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Capt. Jean-Emmanuel Roux de Luze, French Naval Attaché to the U.S. said the aim of the attachment is beyond just carrier qualifications and cross-deck operations.

“We want to demonstrate our ability to integrate with U.S. military services,” Roux de Luze said. “We want to show we do maintenance, demonstrate we can load weapons.”