Cairo - Egyptian and French naval forces concluded on Wednesday joint naval military exercises dubbed "Cleopatra," which ran for several days in Egyptian territorial waters in the Mediterranean and Red seas, the Egyptian army announced on Wednesday. The exercise included planning and management of joint offensive and defensive combat operations, inspection of suspicious vessels, transportation exercises, helicopter manoeuvres, air defence and the maritime landing of personnel and equipment on coasts. Two Egyptian Mistral helicopter carriers participated in the exercise, as well as a number of frigates, rocket launchers, F-16 fighter jets, and aircraft that detect and combat submarines. The exercises were attended by Egyptian naval commander vice admiral Ahmed Khaled and French naval commander admiral Christophe Prazuck. In 2016, Egypt carried out 30 joint military exercises with 20 Arab and African countries, as well as European countries including France and Russia.
