Summary
- Indian Rafale jets to join USAF’s Red Flag training in Alaska for multinational exercises.
- IAF contingent, including 8 Rafales, will engage in realistic combat scenarios for integration of different forces.
- Following training, the jets will split into groups heading to Egypt and Greece, showcasing IAF’s participation in international exercises.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) team of eight Rafale fighter jets will participate in the United States Air Force’s (USAF) ‘Red Flag’ training exercises in Alaska over the next two weeks. The jets flew from India to Alaska via stopovers in Greece and Portugal and were supported by IL-78 air-to-air refuellers.
Indian fighters to take part in USAF training exercises
The Red Flag-Alaska training exercises will be led by the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) of the USAF in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, a 77,000-square-mile area that ranks as the largest military training area in the world. The eight IAF Dassault Rafale multirole fighters and over 20 officers from the IAF arrived at Eilson Air Force Base in Alaska on Thursday following a lengthy journey from India, which included mid-air refueling support.
Photo: IAF
The IAF said,
“An IAF contingent arrived today at the Eielson AF Base in Alaska, USA, to participate in the upcoming edition of the multi-national exercise Red Flag 24.”
Over 100 aircraft from four countries will conduct the exercises, supported by over 3,000 service members, with the aim of integrating forces from different countries and simulating realistic combat scenarios. Alaska is one of two staging areas for Red Flag training exercises, the other being Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, where exercises are hosted by the United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC).
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Eilson Air Force Base is the home of the 354th Fighter Wing, which operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. This will give Indian pilots crucial experience of encountering the F-16, which is operated by neighboring Pakistan.
Mission to Alaska
The fighter jets, along with two IL-78 air-to-air refuelers and three C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlifters, left India on May 24th and took a westbound routing to reach Alaska, flying transatlantic via staging halts in Greece and then Portugal.
Photo: IAF
When they fly back following the exercises, the eight Rafale fighter jets will be split up into two groups of four, with one group heading to Egypt and the other to Greece. The IAF has participated in several international training exercises in recent years, including the Royal Australian Air Force’s ‘Pitch Black’ and the UAE’s ‘Desert Flag’ exercises. It is also conducting negotiations with France over the acquisition of the naval Rafale variant, the Rafale M, with a deal for 26 jets hoped before the end of the year.
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Red Flag-Alaska usually takes place up to four times per year over the span of 10-14 days. According to the USAF, “the training spans from individual skills to complex, large-scale joint engagements” and enables allied forces to share tactics, techniques and procedures.
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