Exercises take place in the maritime area between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Mangaratiba (RJ)
1T (RM2-T) Thaís Cerqueira
Operation “Jeanne d’Arc 2024” begins today (14), an exercise carried out by the Brazilian Navy (MB) together with the French Armed Forces, which includes the French National Navy (MNF) and the 9th Brigade of the French Army, responsible for carrying out amphibious operations in that country.
The operation, which runs until April 20, will involve approximately 2,250 military personnel, 1,460 Brazilian and 790 French, and will take place in the maritime area between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Mangaratiba (RJ).
As well as increasing the interoperability of the forces involved, the combined exercise aims to increase cooperation and strengthen the bonds of friendship between the MB and the French Armed Forces, contributing to action in the field of Naval Diplomacy.
The operation will be divided into two stages: the sea phase, from April 14 to 16, and the port phase, from April 17 to 20.
During the sea phase, various strictly military exercises will be carried out, including an Amphibious Incursion in the area of the Marambaia Island Training Center (CADIM), in the Sepetiba Bay region. The planned activities are related to the basic tasks of the Naval Power of “projecting power”, through an amphibious incursion, and of “controlling the maritime area”, in the region adjacent to the amphibious operation.
The amphibious incursion is one of the modalities of the amphibious operation and is characterized by the rapid penetration or temporary occupation of an objective in a hostile or potentially hostile coastal region, followed by a planned withdrawal, which is its main characteristic.
The Commander of the Fleet’s 1st Division will be the Commander of the Combined Amphibious Task Group, responsible for carrying out the activities related to the Operation.
Resources involved
The following MB assets are directly involved in this edition of Operation “Jeanne d’Arc”: the Multipurpose Aerodrome Ship “Atlântico” (Fleet Captain), the Frigate “Liberal”, the General Cargo Landing Vessel “Marambaia”, the Ocean Support Vessel “Mearim”, as well as the UH-12 “Esquilo”, UH-15 “Super Cougar” and SH-16 “Seahawk” aircraft. Also noteworthy is the participation of an amphibious unit from the Fleet Marines Force (FFE), made up of specialized troops and amphibious assets, such as the Amphibious Caterpillar Carrier (CLAnf) and various troop landing craft.
The MNF plans to include the amphibious helicopter carrier Tonnerre, the frigate Guépratte, the SA 341/342 Gazelle and SA 365 Dauphin helicopters, as well as amphibious troops from the French Marine Infantry, with amphibious landing craft.
At sea, on land and in the air
On April 15, an operational demonstration will take place on Marambaia Island (RJ), where Brazilian and French military personnel will disembark on the beach by various means to carry out a simulated mission. The aim of the exercise is to defend the jurisdictional waters of a hypothetical country, in order to contribute to the safety of maritime traffic in the region and destroy the infrastructure of simulated enemies, through surface actions and an amphibious operation.
Beforehand, Special Operations teams will be infiltrated by means of an Operational Free Jump. From the beach, ships and amphibious assault vehicles can be seen, as well as landing craft, which will approach the beach to disembark the Marines.
Tactical maneuvers and air operations
During the operation with the French Navy, exercises will be carried out such as Leap Frog, in which the maneuver of approaching ships at close range is practiced, and Light-line, which consists of passing a device with the purpose of maintaining the position between ships while they sail, at a planned distance. These actions aim to improve training for the transfer of cargo and oil at sea.
Helo Cross Deck is also planned, which consists of aircraft landing on ships of another nationality, in which case Brazilian aircraft will land on French ships and vice versa. There will also be simulated exercises between the Combat Operations Centers (COC) and communications between MB and MNF ships.
Also as part of the operation, pilots and aircraft from the Air and Naval Force Command will carry out landing qualification and requalification exercises on board the NAM “Atlântico”, including night flights.
In parallel to the exercises at sea, there will be exercises on land, in the Restinga da Marambaia region, between Brazilian Marines and French Army troops.
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