• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

First Indo-US air war-games maneuvers begins in Bhopal Monday

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Feb 16, IRNA -- The Indian Air Force with a whole range 
of its fighters began war games maneuvers along with US Air Force`s 
combat aircraft in Gwalior, the Central Indian State of Madhya 
Pradesh Monday. 
Mahesh Upasnay, spokesman of the Indian Air Force (IAF), told 
IRNA on telephone Monday that the first ever Indo-US fighter 
aircraft exercise will be a ten-day affair. 
The biggest combat training, India has carried out with a 
foreign Air Force, was earlier scheduled to start on February 14 
but has been delayed by two days. 
The Russian built fleet of Indian Air Force comprising MIG 21s, 
MIG 27s, MIG 29s, SU-30 and the French Mirages would be flying along 
with F-15s of the US Air force to carry out several tasks. 
IAF sources said that they have pulled out Jaguars from the 
exercise as they would be going to Alaska in July this year for the 
Cope Thunder exercise. 
The US Air Force will fly four F-15C air superiority fighter 
aircraft which would be accompanied by two C-5 Galaxies, a heavy 
cargo transport designed to provide strategic airlift for deployment 
and supply of combat and support forces. Earlier there were plans to 
include F-16s also but now only F-15s have come for exercise. 
The two Air Forces will conduct Dissimilar Air Combat Training 
and high value aerial asset protection tasks over the next ten days. 
Officials said that exercise is going to be of immense training 
value for the two forces which would get used to each other. 
They would be attuned to each other if there is need to operate 
together for peace keeping operations. Officials ruled out India 
joining the US Air Force in any actual combat situation and made it 
clear that the purpose of training was limited to co-operation for 
peaceful operations. 
The training would enable the two forces to sharpen air combat 
skills and improve procedures for sustained operations. 
In the exercise directly supervised by Air Commodore Raj Guru 
who commands the Gwalior Air Base around 100 personnel of the US 
Air Force are already in Gwalior with equipment and other material 
needed for training of such a magnitude. 
2160/213 
End