India’s Russia-made Sukhoi-30s will engage in dogfights with their American counterparts F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets in an exercise named ‘Cope India’ that will start from next week.
The exercise between the two sides that was put on hold due to the complexities arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic is being held after a gap of four years.
Top sources told India Today that the US Air Force is bringing its F-15 Strike Eagle fighter aircraft from a Pacific air base to Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal for the Cope India series of wargames.
The Indian side will fly its Su-30MKIs aircraft to take on the American jets in the combat exercise, said sources.
The timing of the exercise with participation of the F-15 fighter aircraft is important as it is one of the contenders for the planned competition for the 114 multi-role fighter aircraft competition by the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force is also likely to field its air-borne early warning aircraft and IL-78 mid air-refuelers for the exercise, said sources.
The Indian Air Force has recently been engaged in multiple multi-national exercises where the US has also participated including the EX Desert Flag in the UAE and Ex Cobra Warrior in the UK. Field training exercise focused on enhancing US-India cooperation by building on existing capabilities, aircrew tactics and force employment.
Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise held at the air station in Gwalior. The exercise has evolved to incorporate subject matter expert exchanges, air mobility training, airdrop training and large-force exercises, in addition to fighter-training exercises. The last edition of the the exercise was held in 2019.
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