The Su-30MKI will spearhead the IAF contingent for the Cope India war games with the US at the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal Image Courtesy PTI
The Su-30MKI will spearhead the IAF contingent for the Cope India war games with the US at the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal Image Courtesy PTI
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) are scheduled to conduct a joint military exercise at the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal from April 10.
Named Cope India, the war games between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) at the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal are being held after a gap of four years since it had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The last edition was held in 2019.
The Su-30MKI fighter aircraft will spearhead the IAF contingent which may also feature the LCA Tejas, IL-78 mid-air refuelers and air-borne early warning aircraft.
The US Air Force (USAF) contingent will reportedly come from the Pacific command of the US military and is expected to field the F-15 fighter aircraft.
“A squadron of the US Air Force’s F-15 Strike Eagle fighter aircraft will be arriving at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal for the Cope India series of wargames where the Indian side would be mainly fielding its Russian-origin Sukhoi-30 jets,” a senior IAF official was quoted as saying by Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW).
The Pacific command of the US military coordinates with India in the Indo-Pacific sector as both nations strive to counter growing Chinese influence in the region.
The US has also been trying to build closer military ties with India which has traditionally relied on Russia for defence equipment and weapons.
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