Red Flag 2016

Illusive

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IAF readies for Red Flag, its toughest exercise with US

NEW DELHI: Top-gun Indian fighter pilots on their Sukhoi-30MKI and Jaguar jets are now finally on their way to match combat skills with their US counterparts in the high-voltage Red Flag exercise, often touted as taking part in the most realistic air combat manoeuvres without actually going to war.

The Indian Air Force on Sunday dispatched four Sukhoi-30MKIs, four Jaguars, two IL-78 mid-air refuellers and two C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft from its Jamnagar airbase for the Eielson USAF airbase in Alaska for the Red Flag exercise that will be held from April 28 to May 13.

"Apart from the aircraft, the contingent has 202 personnel, including 71 officers.

The contingent will reach Alaska flying via Bahrain, Egypt, France, Portugal and Canada. Before the actual exercise gets going, our contingent will undergo intensive work-up phases to get familiar with the new operational environment," said an officer.

The demanding "network-centric" exercise will not only give IAF pilots the opportunity to hone their combat skills with the USAF, but also serve to establish IAF's capability to deploy "a trans-continental task force" of fighters, tankers and airlifters across the globe, as was earlier reported by TOI.

This will be the second time that the IAF will be participating in the Red Flag exercise.

IAF had earlier participated in Red Flag at the Nellis airbase in Nevada, northwest of Las Vegas, in 2008. The entire endeavour then had involved flying close to 20,000-km, with well over 300 sorties.

It was also the first time the Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI fighters had flown over the American mainland. The IAF would of course like to participate more often in the Red Flag exercise but such endeavours can prove quite costly, with the price tag coming to over Rs 100 crore.

targets, realistic threat systems and an opposing enemy force that "cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world", the USAF itself tom-toms the Red Flag exercise as the best platform "to train to fight together, survive together and win together". Incidentally, IAF fighter pilots have managed to hold their own and often outgun their rivals in the series of bilateral exercises with US, UK, France and others over the years.
 

Mikesingh

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Six IAF SU-30s launch and recovery at Nellis AFB, USA during the previous RED FLAG exercise.


And USAF AWACS followed by IAF's huge IL-76 recovery at Nellis AFB during exercise RED FLAG....

See in full screen mode!

 
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ezsasa

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Now we just need to wait for Vishnu som to come up with something stupid [emoji12]
 

alphacentury

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cobra commando

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An Indian air force Su-30MKI fighter aircraft assigned to the 15 Squadron, Sirsa Air Base, India, takes off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, May 4, 2016, during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-1.


U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Rex Akins, a 354th Operations Support Squadron (OSS) weather technician, uses a Kestrel 4500 to capture weather conditions, May 4, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The 354 OSS weather flight records and passes along weather information to augmentees from the 18th OSS to build briefing slides for pilots during RED FLAG-Alaska 16-1.
 

cobra commando

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Maintenance airmen from the Indian Air Force, 14 Fighter Squadron (FS) from Ambala Air Base, India, work to change a shock absorber on their Jaguar attack jet aircraft April 29, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.


Avionics maintenance airmen from the Indian Air Force (IAF), 14 Fighter Squadron, Ambala Air Base, India, look on as U.S. Air Force airmen from the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, replace a panel on an F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft April 29, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.


Squadron Leader Latish Palakkot (left), an engineering officer from the Indian Air Force, 14 Fighter Squadron, Ambala Air Base, India, works to approve a repair with his airmen on a Jaguar attack jet aircraft April 29, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.


Sgt. D. Thaku, a maintenance airmen from the Indian Air Force (IAF), 14 Fighter Squadron, Ambala Air Base, India, works to change a shock absorber on a Jaguar attack jet aircraft April 29, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
 

cobra commando

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The backstage actors - the maintenance crew - who work hard every day and night - in rain and sun and freezing temperatures - so the pilots can take to the air and finish the mission at hand.

A Sukhoi Su-30MKI from No.15 Squadron Indian Air Force, takes off with burners in grey drab weather to take part in a mission in Red Flag Alaska at Eielson AFB.

U.S. Air Force Airmen join their Indian Air Force counterparts for a photo May 10, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The IAF Airmen participated in an incentive flight during RED FLAG- Alaska 16-1 on a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan.


 

delta

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would love to know the result/feedback of our pilots' performance. i just hope our media doesn't go apeshit over some off-hand statement and cause another embarrassment after Indradhanush.
 

Chinmoy

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Mind boggling pics........ Hats off to Kedar Karmakar and Air Capital Images :yo:
 

cobra commando

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A Sukhoi SU-30MK with the Indian Air Force taxi's down the tarmac in preparation for take-off, here, May 6, 2016.

A Sukhoi SU-30 MKI taxi's down the tarmac.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary Pletcher, the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of Fuels Distribution for the 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS) enjoys a moment of levity with Airman 1st Class Manuel Huesca, a fuels distribution operator with the 18th LRS out of Kadena Air Base, Japan, and an Indian Air Force (IAF) airman while waiting for an IAF Jaguar aircraft with 14 Squadron deployed from Ambala Air Base, India, to finish fueling at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, May 4, 2016.

An operations airman helps Indian Air Force pilots complete a mission brief prior to a scheduled sortie, here, May 12, 2016.
A media pool captures images of pilots assigned to the Indian Air Force, here, May 4, 2016.

U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant James Anderson, 354th Maintenance Squadron, provides insight into sheet metal operations to Airman with the Indian Air Force, here, May 10, 2016.

 

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