Indian Air Force to participate in Exercise Red Flag

[+ghostrider883 526]

IAF’s first ever Participation in Exercise ‘Red Flag’

 

CONTINGENT READY TO DEPART ON 07 JUL 08

 

The Indian Air Force would be participating in a multinational Air Exercise, ‘Ex - Red Flag 08’ at the invitation of United States Air Force (USAF), scheduled to be held at Nellis Air Force Base in the US from 09-23 Aug 08.

 

The IAF would be participating in the exercise with eight Su-30MKI aircraft, two IL-78MKI air to air refuellers and one IL-76MD transport aircraft. The contingent would comprise 156 personnel below officers rank and 91 officers (inclusive of 10 members of ‘Garud’ IAF Special Force team). The contingent is being led by Gp Capt D Chaudhury and Exercise Coordinator would be Gp Capt Ajay Rathore.

 

Exercise Red Flag is a multinational air exercise that is held thrice a year at Nellis Air Force base, USA. The IAF would be participating in the Exercise alongside South Korean Air Force with F-15K and the French Air Force with their latest Rafale aircraft, apart from the USAF. Red Flag was originally conceived in 1975 by USAF with an advanced aerial combat training format - the purpose being to ensure that pilots are trained well enough to survive in air combat and win air battles. The exercise holds tremendous learning opportunity for all the participating Air Forces.

 

Prior to the main Exercise Red Flag 08 at Nellis, the IAF’s contingent would be working up at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, US from 17 Jul 08 till 07 Aug 08. At Mountain Home, the IAF contingent would be flying with the F-16s & F-15s of USAF. The purpose of the work up phase is to streamline the procedures and have a clear understanding of the new flying environment.

 

The IAF contingent with its aircraft are scheduled to depart from Pune on 07 Jul 08 and transit via Doha (Qatar), Chorlu (Turkey), Mont de Marsan (France) and Lages (Portugal) before reaching land main USA and Mountain Home airbase on 17 Jul 08.

[Stick 773]

which squadron is going-the lightnings?

[eraser_tr 29]

Jeez thats a long trip. Wouldn't flying east be faster? Make a first stop somewhere in SEA, fly up to Japan and across to Alaska then South through Canada and the Rockies to Nellis?

 

Wish they televised these things, hopefully we can see the flanker vs raptor debate put to rest.

[Stick 773]

Well they might want to check out the babes in turkey, france, and portugal so thats why the long haul.

[+ghostrider883 526]

which squadron is going-the lightnings?

 

Could be. The picture would become more clear once the contingent departs Indian shores. The Rhinos went to the Old Blighty for Ex Indradhanush. May be this time its the Lightnings turn this time. Or could it be the new MKI sqdn - The Pursoots?

Edited July 6, 2008 by ghostrider883

[Silverbolt 104]

We(Brazil) are going to xD in 08.3 edition i think....

 

- Air Superiority

 

Red Team: F/15 e F16C – USAF - Nellis AFB – Nevada

 

Blue Team: F5 EM/FM – FAB - Canoas AFB - RS – Brasil

F-15 – USAF-OTAN(UK Parked Units)

 

- Ground attack

 

JAS 39C/D Gripen – Swedish AF

B-52 – USAF – Minot AFB

F-16 – TuAF

F-16 – USAF – Hilll AFB

 

- (SEAD)

 

EA-6B Prowler – US Navy – Whidbey Island AB

 

- AWACS

 

E-3 – USAF – Tinker AFB

 

- In Flight Refuel

 

KC-137 – FAB – Galeão AFB – RJ – Brasil

KC-135 – TuAF

KC-135 – USAF – Fairchild AFB - Spokane County, Washington

Edited July 6, 2008 by Silverbolt

[+ghostrider883 526]

The Air Chief Marshal, FH Major with the members of IAF's team for exercise 'Red Flag’ (USA) prior to their departure date at Air Force Station Pune on July 06, 2008.

 

NEW DELHI: In the early hours of Monday, eight frontline Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, two IL-78 mid-air refullers and an IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft will quietly take off from Pune to head for what will be one of toughest challenges for IAF till now.

 

Hopping across Qatar, Turkey, France and Portugal, the IAF aircraft — along with 91 officers and 156 other ranks — will finally touch down in the US on July 17 in the run-up to the world famous "Red Flag" air combat wargames.

 

Not only will IAF fighter pilots have to match their combat skills with American top-guns in their F-16s and F-15s, but also grapple with French ones in their spanking new Rafale fighters and South Korean ones in their F-15K jets during the multi-nation exercise at Nellis US Air Force base at Nevada from August 2 to 23.

 

The Red Flag exercise, after all, is considered to be the closest one can get to real air combat situations. And it does not come cheap. As reported by TOI earlier, India will be shelling out around Rs 100 crore to take part in the complex air combat manoeuvres, which are being touted as a new high in Indo-US military ties.

 

Indian and American armed forces, incidentally, have held around 50 wargames in the last seven years to build "interoperability" and learn "best practices" from each other.

 

Such exercises also give the two confidence that they can operate together against "a common enemy" in the future if required.

 

Left parties like CPM and CPI, of course, have been extremely strident in their opposition to this growing strategic embrace between India and the US. But unlike the civil nuclear deal, that has not deterred the UPA government from going ahead with the flurry of Indo-US wargames since it came to office in 2004.

 

Before the actual Red Flag begins in August, the IAF contingent will get a chance to "clearly understand the new flying environment" at the Mountain Home Air Base at Idaho, where they will practice with F-16s and F-15s in the "work-up phase".

 

"We are sure our pilots will be able to hold their own in Red Flag. We may not be as used to advanced BVR (beyond-visual range) combat or operating in an AWACS (airborne warning control and warning systems) environment as USAF but are making steady progress in these aspects as well," said a senior IAF officer.

 

IAF fighter pilots have certainly proved more than a match for American, French, British and other pilots in combat exercises over the last few years. During the Indo-US "Cope India" exercise at Gwalior in February 2004, the first such air wargames between the two countries since 1963, for instance, IAF pilots flying Sukhois and other jets had simply outgunned USAF pilots in their F-15C fighters.

 

Soon after, IAF pilots had flown Jaguar strike fighters all the way to Alaska to participate in the multinational Cope-Thunder exercise there. Then, in November 2005, despite objections from the Left, the next Cope India exercise at Kalaikunda in West Bengal saw IAF fighters successfully take on the American F-16s.

Edited July 7, 2008 by ghostrider883

[Sparkchaser2010 24]

This is great news and I've been long waiting for this one. Wish I was still at Nellis to get a look at these fine aircraft.

[+ST0RM 145]

My best friend is going and will be allowed inside to photograph the launch and recoveries. Unfortunately, I'll be back in the real fight and will miss another good deal.

 

I'll be looking forward to seeing the photos though.

 

I do wonder if the IAF will actually use their Flanker's full potential or hamstring themselves again, like over in the UK, by leaving the radars off.

 

Storm

[JediMaster 451]

Not just that, they're going to keep their eyes shut so no one figures out how good their vision is.

[Stick 773]

And we'll just sit back and let speculation run rife whilst we enjoy your fine sense of humour; after all in in a country like ours when you fly Sukhoi's over cities where traffic stops for cows, the first lesson in flying is how to laugh because it might be the cow-herder's son who is your maintenance engineer.

[+Jug 99]

And we'll just sit back and let speculation run rife whilst we enjoy your fine sense of humour; after all in in a country like ours when you fly Sukhoi's over cities where traffic stops for cows, the first lesson in flying is how to laugh because it might be the cow-herder's son who is your maintenance engineer.

 

At the end of the day, each force will learn from the other. This is the ultimate objective. Nobody has a corner on the "right stuff" and a good fight amongst friends is a good way to find out whose corner needs to be adjusted. The worst case is to handicap either of the participants to a point where a good evaluation of tactics and strategy cannot be obtained. Then everyone loses and then the money is wasted.

 

Looking at a surging China across the mountains has made the need for cooperative ventures such as this a little more compatible to India's political leadership. Surprise, surprise!

[Silverbolt 104]

i heard about the flankers radar will not be turned on as eagles did in CopeIndia2004

Edited July 8, 2008 by Silverbolt

[Stick 773]

At the end of the day, each force will learn from the other. This is the ultimate objective. Nobody has a corner on the "right stuff" and a good fight amongst friends is a good way to find out whose corner needs to be adjusted. The worst case is to handicap either of the participants to a point where a good evaluation of tactics and strategy cannot be obtained. Then everyone loses and then the money is wasted.

 

Looking at a surging China across the mountains has made the need for cooperative ventures such as this a little more compatible to India's political leadership. Surprise, surprise!

 

We have had China looming over us ever since our inception as a nation(we were even handed our balls in a platter thanks to Nehru).

His daughter dined with Kennedy, but we slept with the Bear, and screamed non-aligned. And while you'll offer us your dinky little hornets and falcons, its not much of a choice as to whom we have to bend over for.

Besides there is too much at stake. Who knows if you'll wont sell what you'll find out to that dashing general across the border for a heads up as to where old man Osama might be?

 

This is a flying exercise, not zap and frap. So we're good, thank you.

And if you'll really want to know what is in that bird it wouldnt be such a bad idea to ask God's favourite people(you'll be suprised how many of them were here at Lohegaon.) We have our considerations, you see.

[+ghostrider883 526]

IAF removes hi-tech radars as 8 Sukhois leave for exercise with US

New Delhi | Monday, Jul 7 2008 IST

 

 

In a bid to maintain operational secrecy, the Indian Force have removed hi-tech multiple aerial target tracking raders from its eight Sukhoi 30 fighters before they left for the United States to participate in the 'Red Flag' air warfare exercise with NATO forces.

 

Highly placed sources said here that the NIIP N001 radars, providing some ability for air-to-ground attack and to track and engage multiple aerial targets simultaneously were removed in a bid to maintain secrecy about the ability of the equipment during the air warfare exercise for which IAF was invited this year.

 

An Air Force spokesperson, however, maintained that there was nothing secret about the avionics and equipment mounted on the SU 30 MK I and its equipment was fully functional. ''We are not playing a game of hide-and-seek,'' he added.

 

The Indian Air Force would be participating in a multinational Air Exercise, "Ex - Red Flag 08" at the invitation of United States Air Force (USAF), scheduled to be held at Nellis Air Force Base in the US from August 9 to 23. The IAF contingent today left for the exercise. The IAF would participate in the exercise with eight SU-30 MK-I aircraft, two IL-78 air to air refuellers and one IL-76 transport aircraft. The contingent would comprise 156 personnel below officers rank and 91 officers (inclusive of 10 members of "Garuda" IAF Special Forces team).

 

Exercise Red Flag is a multinational air exercise that is held thrice a year at Nellis Air Force base, USA. The IAF would be participating in the Exercise alongside South Korean Air Force with F-15K and the French Air Force with their latest Rafale aircraft, apart from the USAF. Red Flag was originally conceived in 1975 by USAF with an advanced aerial combat training format with an aim to ensure that pilots are trained well enough to survive in air combat and win air battles. The exercise holds tremendous learning opportunity for all the participating Air Forces. Prior to the main Exercise at Nellis, the IAF contingent would be working up at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, US from July 17 till August 8. The IAF contingent would reach the US via Doha (Qatar), Chorlu (Turkey), Mont de Marsan (France) and Lages (Portugal) before reaching mainland USA and Mountain Home airbase.

[+ST0RM 145]

We have had China looming over us ever since our inception as a nation(we were even handed our balls in a platter thanks to Nehru).

His daughter dined with Kennedy, but we slept with the Bear, and screamed non-aligned. And while you'll offer us your dinky little hornets and falcons, its not much of a choice as to whom we have to bend over for.

Besides there is too much at stake. Who knows if you'll wont sell what you'll find out to that dashing general across the border for a heads up as to where old man Osama might be?

 

This is a flying exercise, not zap and frap. So we're good, thank you.

And if you'll really want to know what is in that bird it wouldnt be such a bad idea to ask God's favourite people(you'll be suprised how many of them were here at Lohegaon.) We have our considerations, you see.

 

Great job on the insult. At no time did anyone attack the ability of the IAF. Some simple comments were made about how the Flanker would be used in Red Flag but you had to turn it political and imply that we would sell you out. Get a clue.

 

By any chance are you an actual member of the IAF, or just someone who watches a lot of news?

[Stick 773]

Great job on the insult. At no time did anyone attack the ability of the IAF. Some simple comments were made about how the Flanker would be used in Red Flag but you had to turn it political and imply that we would sell you out. Get a clue.

 

By any chance are you an actual member of the IAF, or just someone who watches a lot of news?

 

I live near the air base. A friend of my fathers is wing commander with the Lightnings here.

I used to work with United Airlines a while ago. I was young then, and I was given a real clue as to how Americans percieve Indians.Its hard to forget racial digs coming at you at 3 in the morning. Course I talked a lot of nice people, even chatted up a lesbian by calling her sir.

End of the day everything is political. The goodness of mankind is just pillow talk.

[+Jug 99]

We have had China looming over us ever since our inception as a nation(we were even handed our balls in a platter thanks to Nehru).

His daughter dined with Kennedy, but we slept with the Bear, and screamed non-aligned. And while you'll offer us your dinky little hornets and falcons, its not much of a choice as to whom we have to bend over for.

Besides there is too much at stake. Who knows if you'll wont sell what you'll find out to that dashing general across the border for a heads up as to where old man Osama might be?

 

This is a flying exercise, not zap and frap. So we're good, thank you.

And if you'll really want to know what is in that bird it wouldnt be such a bad idea to ask God's favourite people(you'll be suprised how many of them were here at Lohegaon.) We have our considerations, you see.

 

I may have touched off a little flame here, unintentionally. My focus was the positive objectives of the IAF visit to Red Flag. Politics is not my arena and I should probably keep my comments to myself.

[+Dave 2,322]

You didn't say anything wrong Jug, Stick needs to lighten up.

[Stick 773]

HMMPHH...okay, I just jumped at the post with most substance here. I was out of line, and I gunned the wrong man.

Flippancy in Jedimasters earlier post was a little difficult to digest. We are referring to my country's air-force, not a circus.

Edited July 10, 2008 by Stick

[JediMaster 451]

Not my fault if you can't accept flippancy. It wasn't an insult, but if you see it that way that's YOUR problem.

I would've said the same thing about ANY other visiting AF just because I think secrecy is taken too far for the most part by everyone. However, if you can't handle people talking about your AF with anything but extreme reverance, like it's some holy leader, I think you're going to find the internet a tough place.

[Stick 773]

Not my fault if you can't accept flippancy. It wasn't an insult, but if you see it that way that's YOUR problem.

I would've said the same thing about ANY other visiting AF just because I think secrecy is taken too far for the most part by everyone. However, if you can't handle people talking about your AF with anything but extreme reverance, like it's some holy leader, I think you're going to find the internet a tough place.

 

I wonder if I took a crack at your air-force whether you'd be as generous with your humour.

And as pointed out earlier;its a fact that the F-15's that visited Gwalior didnt light up their radars either. What goes around comes around. Even on the internet.

[SayethWhaaaa 245]

I would've said the same thing about ANY other visiting AF just because I think secrecy is taken too far for the most part by everyone.

 

To be fair in my role as devil's advocate, it is the most advanced Flanker in service anywhere (Forget the Su-35/37, they're older) and I could understand the UK or US being wary about being watched with electronic eyes. But Jedi's right, it's sort of getting to the point where nations are going to now start fitting 'home' and 'away' radars.

[+Dave 2,322]

I wonder if I took a crack at your air-force whether you'd be as generous with your humour.

And as pointed out earlier;its a fact that the F-15's that visited Gwalior didnt light up their radars either. What goes around comes around. Even on the internet.

 

Stick

 

He wasn't taking a crack a your Air Force, he was making a general statement. Was not a shot at your country at all. If you can not understand that, then please remove yourself from the conversation.

[Stick 773]

Stick

 

He wasn't taking a crack a your Air Force, he was making a general statement. Was not a shot at your country at all. If you can not understand that, then please remove yourself from the conversation.

 

Oh I must have spent too much time in the jungle. The mosquito's ate my brain.

 

All I ask is for people to consider and assess the situation before they speculate. The arctic isnt going to melt in a day. But it will.

Us being bum buddies who reveal all will happen but not just yet. We first have to take over your administration

Watch out for Bobby Jindal

Edited July 10, 2008 by Stick