[Paladin2]

Why not use one of them there Airbuses?

[MinorityRepublican]

I agree. I mean what if the U.S. said no? What would they do? No choice but to rely on Air France to ferry troops and supplies into Mali?

[JerseyanExile]

The French military lacks heavy-lift military transports like the C-17. All they have are light or medium ones. Hence why they asked the British and Canadians to loan their C-17s to the effort in Mali, and had to lease Antonov-124s from Russia.

http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065975360&channel=defence

[Pan_Yan]

Why not use one of them there Airbuses?

Sun Tse might have said "The wise general does not have to depend on a third country to carry his troops to battle while fighting someone else's civil war. This is a sign that he works for an incompetent ruler."