The French Navy's amphibious landing helicopter dock (LHD) ‘Tonnerre' will dock at the port here on Wednesday.
The ship, which is on a training cruise for about 120 midshipmen, was successfully involved in an anti-piracy operation when it was about 450 nautical miles off the Somali coast in early May.
Commanded by Captain Philippe Ebanga, LHD ‘Tonnerre' substituted the now-decommissioned helicopter carrier Jean d'Arc and forms part of the state-of-the-art and innovative fleet of the French Navy.
The ship is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including amphibious and air support operations, crisis management, command and control and medical support.
Jerome Bonnafont, Ambassador of France to India, will be in Kochi in connection with the arrival of the ship.
LHD Tonnerre, a 21,600 tonne Mistral-class vessel, has the versatility to carry up to 12 medium or 16 light attack helicopters; 110 armoured vehicles or 13 tanks; and troops numbering about 650, depending on its type of mission. In case of need, it can be converted into a fairly big hospital with surgery and X-ray rooms.
While LHD Tonnerre is at Kochi, interaction will take place between the Indian and the French Navies. One of the goals of the cruise, as stated by a French embassy in a communiqué, is to train the midshipmen on “diplomacy and geostrategic issues”.
