M A I N   N E W S

Indian, US pilots share experiences
R. Suryamurthy
Tribune News Service

An Indian Air Force SU-30 (top) and a US F-15C fighter take off during a joint air exercise in Gwalior on Wednesday. — Reuters photos

Gwalior, February 25
The United States could share its experience in high altitude precision bombing with India, a senior US Air Force officer indicated here today.

“The two countries are likely to project the subject of sharing experiences in the high altitude precision bombing to be included in the next series of combat exercise,” Col J.A. Hill, Air Attache, US Embassy in India, told a group of visiting newspersons here.

The sharing of such information by Washington is significant as the US is yet to share this technology and its lethal use in Afghanistan and Iraq with many countries.

The inclusion of sharing of experiences in the high altitude bombing would come up at the Joint Air Force steering committee meeting to be held in New Delhi in April.

American Air Force personnel were here as part of the first ever joint fighter exercise in Gwalior, which is the home for three Mirage-2000 squadrons.

US officials said for the first time India would be taking part in the seven-nation fighter war game in Alaska in July this year. Five NATO nations will be taking part along with India, Turkey and Japan.

IAF is to send its two deep penetration strike aircraft, Jaguars, along with the just acquired IL-78 mid-air refueller aircraft.

Rounding off the 10-day long Indo-US Air Force Exercise 2004 “Cope India”, the USAF and Indian Air Force officials said the pilots of the two countries gave a tough fight to each other and learnt a lot.

Air Marshal A Bhavnani and US officials indicated that in the coming months the scope of such fighter exercises would be expanded to include the US force’s mainstay F-16 Fighter Falcons as well as the just rolled out F-22.

At the first ever exercise, IAF frontline aircraft crossed swords in mock exercise with the USAF fighters near the Gwalior base and the honours were evenly shared.

US pilots said the IAF pilots manoeuvring their Su-30k, Mirage 2000, MiG-29, MiG-27 and the upgraded MiG-21 Bison put up an impressive show against the F-15C fielding one of the most advanced long range air-to-air Sidewinder missiles.

Air Marshal Bhavnani said: “A wide range of our pilots got to share the experience of the advanced F-15C’s beyond visual range (BVR) capabilities and we were not found lacking.”

The US pilots on their part were overawed by the Russian built SU-30k aircraft and two of their pilots got a chance to ride on the trainer versions of the Sukhois and Mirage 2000.

However, IAF pilots had no such luck as the six F-15C brought by the US for aerial combat exercise were single seater.

Visiting IAF pilots have been able to fly the fighting Eagles as well as the F-16 Fighting Falcons in training sorties in America.

Calling the exercise an “outstanding training environment,” the Commanding Officer of USAF’s 19th Squadron, whose F-15 planes are participating, said such joint operations could be the ‘logical outcome’ of such joint exercises.

“The logical outcome of such joint exercises would be joint operations,” Air Force Lt Col Mark Henkel said.

“IAF has good pilots and aircraft. It was amazing to see how they handle the aircraft and tactics” Capt Dave Skalicry, a visiting US pilot, said.

Senior IAF officials said the aim of the exercises was to learn about each other’s operational concepts through closer interaction, to familiarise ground crew with each other’s maintenance practices and to identify area of commonality in terms of operations, maintenance and administration for future joint exercises.

“A number of missions have been flown during the exercises and the results have been very encouraging and rewarding,” Group Capt S.B.P. Sinha said.

He said during the 10-day exercises, the missions flown consisted of multi-target interception practice, offensive counter air versus defensive counter air operations, attack and protection of high value aerial assets mission and air combat operations.