The Indian Air Force is scheduled to be among the nations contributing military assets to an upcoming instalment of the USAF’s frequently-held Red Flag exercise, which will take place at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base between August 9^th and 23^rd.

Sukhoi SU-30MKI

The Indian Air Force’s participation will comprise of eight examples of its Sukhoi SU-30MKI combat jets, together with two Ilyushin IL-78 tankers and a single Ilyushin IL-76 military transporter.

They will be accompanied by a total of 247 personnel, made up of 91 officers and 156 sub-officers.

Air Combat Training Missions

At Nellis, the Indian Sukhois will take part in air combat training missions alongside aircraft from the Republic of Korean and French Air Forces, which are sending F-15K Slam Eagles and Dassault Rafales, respectively. The USAF itself will, naturally, also be heavily involved.

Red Flag

Red Flag dates back over 30 years to 1975. It was created as an exercise to provide pilots with the air combat skills needed to be victorious in battle. Three exercises a year take place at present, all at Nellis.

Indian Defence Spending

Last month, details emerged on India’s projected defence spending which, potentially, could reach three per cent of GDP.

Indian Armed Forces

India’s Defence Minister, A.K Anthony, spoke at the time of the need for the Indian armed forces to be modernised. A number of new aircraft purchases are planned in coming years, these including 126 new combat jets, as well as new patrol aircraft and helicopters.

According to the most recently-available figures - with a total of around 170,000 serving members, together with 1,430 combat aircraft - the Indian Air Force stands as the fourth largest on a global scale.

Source – Armed Forces International’s Aviation Expert

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