Never in a million years would I have expected to see Gabriel, the French Air Force SIGINT version of the C-160 Transall landing in LMML, but on the 20th December of 2019 the unthinkable happened!
This was the first ever visit by this type of aircraft in Malta, of which France has only two examples in its inventory. These two aircraft were furnished for SIGINT electronic surveillance, designated C-160G Gabriel, replacing the Noratlases that had been in this role previously. In routine operations, the C-160Gs often supplements France’s Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. In 1991, a SIGNIT-equipped C-160G was deployed as part of France’s contribution to Coalition forces during and after the Gulf War to support a no-fly zone and embargoing of Iraq.
The aircraft arrived after a brief patrolling mission within Malta’s FIR for a fuel stop on its way back up to France. On the same day, a French Navy Falcon 50 Surmar also visited LMML for a fuel stop, also following a 3 hour maritime patrol mission within Malta’s FIR. This was another highlight of the day, especially since the French Navy is a rare visitor at LMML.
alistairzammitphotography.com 