Russia seeking to deploy reconnaissance aircraft to Djibouti

Russia is seeking to base two Ilyushin Il-38 maritime surveillance aircraft to Djibouti in support of its anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. A number of nations base anti-piracy aircraft in the Horn of Africa country, which borders on the pirate infested waters of Somalia.

“We have asked France to host two reconnaissance planes at its air base in Djibouti in addition to three French planes deployed there,” Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said yesterday following a meeting of the Russian-French Security Cooperation Council in Paris. Serdyukov, who spoke about the matter with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drien, said both ministers wanted to continue co-operating on anti-piracy efforts.

Russian warships have taken part in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden region since October 2008 and successfully escorted more than 130 commercial vessels from various countries through the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast.

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Article courtesy of Defence Web.