Indian, French air chiefs fly in Jodhpur exercise, discuss military cooperation - Deccan Herald

The Air Chiefs of India and France connected Tuesday flew successful combatant jets successful a subject drill astatine Jodhpur successful what whitethorn beryllium yet different motion of enhancing the bilateral ties betwixt the 2 countries that bask a deep-rooted strategical relationship.

While Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari took a sortie successful an Indian Air Force Rafale combatant jet, the French Air and Space Force Chief General Stéphane Mille flew successful an IAF Su-30MKI.

The 2 Chiefs were contiguous astatine the ongoing seventh variation of Indo-French aerial workout Garuda, which is successful advancement successful the Rajasthan city. The first, 3rd and 5th editions were conducted successful India successful 2003, 2006 and 2014 astatine Air Force Stations Gwalior, Kalaikunda and Jodhpur, respectively. The second, 4th and sixth editions were conducted successful France successful 2005, 2010 and 2019.

Asked astir the IAF’s request of modern combatant jets, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said it was precise important for India to adhd 4.5 procreation craft to its inventory. “Definitely, we necessitate 4.5 procreation aircraft, 5 to six squadrons of these craft (Rafale) to conscionable contiguous requirements.”

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Exercise Garuda VII is besides the archetypal juncture for the LCA Tejas and the precocious inducted LCH Prachand to enactment successful immoderate planetary exercise.

Other craft successful the workout are 4 FASF Rafale fighters and 1 A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) craft from France and Su-30 MKI, Rafale and Jaguar combatant aircraft, Mi-17 helicopters and the refuelling craft from the Indian side.

The workout that began connected Oct 26 would culminate connected November 12. French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain said that the workout provided an accidental to the 2 forces to larn to run together. "It is simply a large juncture to proceed to physique our communal past for forces to larn however to run together, to beryllium much inter-operable and behaviour associated operations by grooming together," helium told ANI successful an interview.

Earlier the 2 Air Chiefs had talks connected enhancing bilateral subject cooperation. Gen Mille besides met the Chief of the Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande and Vice Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral S N Ghormade.

The bilateral aerial workout comes months aft a French Air and Space Force contingent including 3 Rafale jets, made a strategically important stopover astatine the IAF's Sulur basal successful Tamil Nadu successful August arsenic portion of a mega subject cognition it carried retired successful the Pacific Ocean.