Midnapore: Joint exercise of Indian, US air forces held

kolkata: Barely 132km southwest of Kolkata, fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and that of the US Air Force (USAF) took off one after another with a roaring sound from the Kalaikunda Air Force Station at Midnapore, on Monday during the Cope India 2023 joint exercise.

It is being considered crucial in the wake of a Chinese threat in the Indo-Pacific region. The joint exercise between the IAF and USAF focused on fighter jet operations on the last day of Cope India 2023 which sought to enhance the mutual understanding between the two air forces and share their best practices. The event witnessed the participation of fighters, transport aircraft and force multipliers. The 2023 edition is being considered special due to the participation of the IAF’s Rafale and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas aircraft. Other fighter jets of the IAF included Sukhoi-30MKI, Rafales, and the deep penetration strike Jaguar fighters.

The USAF had participated with their F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets and the B1B long-range, multi-mission, supersonic conventional bombers which took part for the first time in Cope India’s history. They had also flown in with their fleet of military transport aircraft. Lt Col Bender Gifford, Commanding Officer of the USAF squadron, said that the exercise comprised joint operations with the IAF with various mission briefs.

“We conducted a large force exercise where 30 fighter aircraft in total flew together while also conducting small sorties and one-on-one mock dog fights. The mission risk was different on each day.”