Keeping up the high tempo of bilateral and multilateral air combat wargames, the Indian Air Force is now all set to kick off an exercise with the US Air Force (USAF) at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal this month.
The `Cope India’ exercise from April 10 to 21 will “further enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces”. Japan, significantly, will also take part as an “observer” in the exercise, which will witness “air combat and mobility elements” operating from multiple air bases like Kalaikunda, Panagarh, Agra and Hindon.
The IAF will be fielding the French-origin Rafale, Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI and indigenous Tejas fighters as well as AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control) planes, C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft and IL-78 mid-air refuellers for the exercise. The US, in turn, will deploy F-15 Strike Eagle jets.
The exercise comes amid India’s continuing three-year-long military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has seen Beijing and Moscow get into a tighter strategic clinch.
Just since the beginning of this year, the IAF has taken part in four exercises overseas. “The aim is to participate in diverse fighter engagements and learn from the best practices of various air forces. It helps in understanding the latest developments in tactical and operational employment of air power,” an officer said.
“The exercises have also helped build interoperability and enhance cooperation.
During them, IAF has also displayed enhanced reach across continents by collaborating with force multipliers like air-to-air refuellers from friendly nations apart from establishing commonality of technical support equipment,” he added.
First, India deployed four Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, two C-17s, one IL-78 and around 150 IAF personnel, for the first-ever air exercise with Japan called ‘Veer Guardian’ at the Hyakuri air base in January.
Then, five Tejas fighters, two C-17s and 110 personnel were dispatched for the multi-nation `Desert Flag’ exercise at UAE from February 23 to March 17. This was the first time that the home-grown Tejas light combat aircraft took part in an international exercise outside India.
Then, five Mirage-2000 fighters, two C-17s, one IL-78 and 145 personnel of the IAF also took part in another multi-nation exercise `Cobra Warrior’ in the UK from March 6 to 24.
The IAF also participated in the `Shinyuu Maitri’ exercise with the Japan Air Self Defence Force at Komatsu, on the side-lines of the bilateral Army exercise `Dharma Guardian’ from February 13 to March 2.
India and the US, of course, regularly conduct several exercises, which range from the bilateral `Yudh Abhyas’ land combat one to the quadrilateral Malabar naval wargames.
The last edition of the 18-day `Yudh Abhyas’ exercise was conducted in the high-altitude region of Auli in Uttarakhand, barely 100-km from the Line of Actual Control with China, last November.
Source-The Times Of India
