India-U.S. air exercise ‘Cope India’ to begin from April 10

Category : Defense Published on: April 06 2023

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The Air Forces of India and the U.S. are set to conduct the Cope India exercise from April 10 to 21 at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal, with Japan as an observer.
India’s Russia-made Sukhoi-30s will engage in dogfights with their American counterparts F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets in an exercise.
The Indian Air Force is also likely to field its air-borne early warning aircraft and IL-78 mid air-refuelers for the exercise.
The Indian Air Force has recently been engaged in multiple multi-national exercises where the US has also participated including the EX Desert Flag in the UAE and Ex Cobra Warrior in the UK.
Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise held at the air station in Gwalior.
The last edition of the exercise was held in 2019.