By Wang Quan

王权

German Air Force's fighters arrive at the Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska.

德国空军战斗机抵达阿拉斯加埃尔门多夫空军基地。

It is reported that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) plans to hold joint military exercises with Germany, France and Spain in July. In recent years, several European countries have successively dispatched vessels and warplanes to the Indo-Pacific, having frequent military interactions with countries in the region in various forms. This trend is worth close attention.

据报道，日本航空自卫队计划7月与德国、法国及西班牙三国举行联合军演。近年来，欧洲多国相继向印太地区派遣舰船和战机，频繁与域内国家展开多种形式的军事互动，相关动向值得关注。

Reports say that at the end of 2023, the German Defense Ministry planned to hold cross-regional exercises in the Indo-Pacific with France and Spain. Half a year was spent making necessary preparations, and a formation comprised of the three countries' warplanes recently set out for the three-phase exercise Pacific Skies 2024 in the Indo-Pacific.

报道称，早在2023年底，德国国防部就表示计划与法国和西班牙一起，在印太地区举行跨区域演习。经过半年筹备，德法西三国空军战机组成的编队于近日出发前往印太地区参加“太平洋天空24”联合演习，演习将分为3个阶段。

Their warplanes will first fly to the US across the Atlantic Ocean to participate in the multinational exercise Arctic Defender in Alaska, where the US Air Force's fifth-generation fighters will join the trilateral formation in air combat drills and live-fire shooting training.

首先，三国战机将跨越大西洋前往美国，参与在阿拉斯加举行的“北极卫士”联合演习。在该阶段，美国空军第五代战机将与三国战机共同进行空中格斗演练和实弹射击训练。

Then the European formation will fly to Japan for the Nippon Skies exercise. It will be the first time that the German, French and Spanish air forces have been deployed in Japan simultaneously, and the first time the JASDF has held a joint training session with Spanish Air Force in Japanese airspace.

随后，三国战机将飞往日本，参加“日本天空”联合演习。这将是德法西三国空军首次同时在日本部署，也是日本航空自卫队首次与西班牙空军在本土进行联合训练。

After the exercise in Japan, the German fighters will be split into two teams, one heading for Hawaii to join the German naval force that arrived earlier for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, and the other flying to Australia for the exercise Pitch Black together with multiple types of warplanes from over 20 countries.

在日本的演习结束后，德国战机将分成两队。一队前往夏威夷，与早前抵达的德国海军会合，参加“环太平洋”演习；另一队则飞往澳大利亚，与来自20余国的多型战机一起参加“漆黑”演习。

At last, the warplanes of the three countries will assemble again and head for India to join the Indian and UK air forces for the first exercise Tarang Shakti: Phase 1, during which the Spanish fighters will be up against India's Su-30 MKI fighters for the first time.

最后，三国战机将再次集结并前往印度，与印度空军和英国空军举行首次“塔朗·沙克蒂1”联合军事演习。演习期间，西班牙空军战机将首次与印度苏-30战机进行对抗。

It is expected that the exercise Pacific Skies 2024 will last till August 15, which will take the trilateral European fighters to a number of natural environments like ice land, desert and tropical areas across 57,940km.

预计“太平洋天空24”联合演习将持续到8月15日。到演习结束时，三国空军战机将跨越5.794万公里，历经冰原、沙漠和热带等多种自然环境。

Foreign media commented that Germany, France and Spain wish to announce their intention of getting involved in the Indo-Pacific affairs through the participation in Pacific Skies 2024. Some worried that their engagement in the Indo-Pacific military exercises may aggravate regional tension.

外媒评论认为，德法西三国希望通过参加“太平洋天空24”联合演习，表明其参与印太地区事务的意图。也有部分人士担忧，欧洲三国空军前往印太地区参加军事演习，可能加剧该地区的紧张局势。

Some analysts also pointed out that the three countries designed the flying routes of their warplanes to deliberately avoid some sensitive sea areas, which means the exercises are more symbolic than substantial. In other words, they are more for show than for actual military deterrence.

还有分析人士指出，德法西三国选择的飞行航线有意绕开了部分敏感海域，表明此次演习更多带有象征意义，而非真实的武力展示，其作秀意味远大于实际的军事威慑。