French Navy Rafale Ditches (Pilot Ejects) At Sea

03 July 2012 French time, during an air combat training session with an F-18 fighter from the American aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower off the Spanish Mediterranean coast, the pilot of a Rafale Marine belonging to Flotille 12F ejected at sea.

He was recovered by an American helicopter and flown back to the French aircraft carrier, where he underwent medical treatment.

An inquiry has been opened to determine the exact circumstances and the causes of this accident.

Having sailed from Toulon on May 30, the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its escorts are currently training in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic, and will continue until July 5.


Source: By French Ministry of Defence News - 03 July 2012

Photo: The French Navy Force Rafale F3 Fighter Aircraft launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Harry S. Truman is deployed as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility at 4 June 2010 . (Photo by U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Dusan Ilic / MEDITERRANEAN SEA)

(3.07.2012)