NEW DELHI: A large air combat exercise between India and France kicked off at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal on Monday, with Indian Sukhoi-30s, Mirage-2000s and MiG-27s taking on the French Mirage-2000D and Mirage-2000V fighter jets.
This 'Garuda-III' exercise will also see IAF deploying an IL-78 mid-air refueller, while the French air force will chip in with a E-3F AWACS aircraft. In both Garuda-I and Garuda-II, IAF pilots had proved more than a match for the French pilots.
"The main objective this time is to expose our pilots to the French fighter tactics and vice-versa. The exercise will help build interoperability since pilots as well as the ground crew will become familiar with each other's operational, technical and administrative practices," said an officer. |