Indo-French Jt Air Exercise Garuda III Takes Off

New Delhi, Feb 13 (UNI) Signalling the growing commitment of the Indian Armed Forces to constructively engage the international community in confidence building, the Indian Air Force and the French Air Force were today well into a twelve-day-long bilateral exercise -- Garuda III -- at Kalaikunda air base in the country's Eastern Air Command.

This is the third such exercise between the two countries and the first involving French AWACS being staged in India. The IAF had earlier participated in a similar exercise held at Istres air base, France, in July 2005.

In Garuda III -- being held from February 12 to 23, the IAF was being represented by its major fighters namely the Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000 and the MIG-27s, an official spokesperson here said.

The French were fielding four Mirage 2000-5 air-defence fighters, an equal number of M-2000 D air-to-ground fighters and one E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft -- sourced from FAF units in France and Djibouti.

The almost two weeks of the joint air exercises -- designed to refine pilot and team skills of both countries -- would see the IAF and FAF engaged in mock air battles in a simulated battlefield environment of the future and allow the IAF Air Warriors an opportunity to refine their aerial fighting skills.

The Kalaikunda air base -- located close to Kharagpur -- is one of the major air bases in the IAF Eastern Air Command. The exercise aims at training the pilots and the crews of the various Indian and French fighters on air-to-ground combat and air superiority operations under the control of the AWACS aircraft.

The Chief of the French Air Defence and Air Operations Command, Air Marshal Patrick de Rousiers was currently in India in this connection and while in Kalaikunda he will meet Air Marshal FH Major, AOC-in-C, Eastern Command, and the Chief of Air Staff- designate.

Initiated in 2003, these exercises were part of a larger cooperation between India and France in the field of defence, which was formalised by the bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement signed on the occasion of the French Presidential Visit at Delhi in 2006.

The Garuda series of exercises provide both the Air Forces a great opportunity to increase their level of interoperability in order to be ready, one day, to operate side by side, in pursuance of mutual interests of both nations, the spokesperson said.

UNI