Philippines, French ships hold drills

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine and French warships jointly sailed the waters of Eastern Mindanao on Friday in another bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) aimed at enhancing interoperability between the two forces for maritime security and improved maritime domain awareness.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it deployed a combination of naval and air assets, including the BRP Artemio Ricarte, a C-208B aircraft, a Black Hawk helicopter and three FA-50 fighter jets.

For its part, the French Armed Forces fielded its own military assets including a frigate and a helicopter.

The activity included Division Tactical Maneuvers and Officer-of-the-Watch drills, which test navigation, formation changes and command execution at sea.

It also had a Replenishment-at-Sea Approach, a skill-intensive maneuver essential for sustaining naval operations over long durations.

The AFP said defense cooperation between the Philippines and France has grown steadily in recent years “and this MCA marks another milestone in their strategic engagement.”