Three years after exercises with major nations, the Indian Air Force on Wednesday announced 'going slow' on joint combat manoeuvre citing 'overexposure' and 'monetary constraints' as reasons.
"Henceforth we plan to have combat exercises with foreign Air Forces once in a three year cycle," Air Vice Marshal Sumit Mukherjee, Assistant Chief of Air Staff, said in New Delhi.
Admitting that combat air exercises with US, French and Singapore air forces had been an 'immense learning exercise for the IAF pilots," Mukherjee said henceforth the IAF will be planning to hold one exercise with a foreign player in India and another outside the country in a calendar year.
Mukherjee said that it had been decided during the recent Joint steering group meeting with the United States that Fighter exercises, manoeuvre involving transport planes and war games with helicopter gunships and utility choppers, will be held alternatively each year.
"Though the joint manoeuvre have proved a boon for IAF and given our pilots immense exposure, high costs involved in hosting and going for such exercises outside are a dampener," he said, adding, "We will always be open to new players."
Mukherjee said that the first-ever air combat exercises with the British Royal Air Force will involve IAF's Mirages, Sukhoi's, MiG-29 and upgraded MiG 21 Bisons taking on the RAF's Tornado fighters.
The British Air Force would also be fielding a P3D AWACS and 2 VC 10 mid-air tankers. The joint exercises would be held from October 2 to 13 when the IAF would be commencing the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of its formation. On holding of the joint exercises at Gwalior air base, Mukherjee said that the IAF had decided henceforth to alternately hold fighter exercises with foreign air forces between Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and Kalaikunda in West Bengal.
Air Vice Marshal Mukherjee, who is the Commodore Commandant of the IAF ace TAC-D, the force's tactics and combat development establishment, said the IAF was very keen to participate in exercises in the US Air Force's prestigious Red Flag Tactics Development Centre in the Nevada desert.
"We have sent the feelers. But dissimilarities in Air Combat instrumentation is proving a stumbling block. We hope to be invited very soon," he said.
Mukherjee also said that the IAF will be sending its Mirage 2000 and Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft to Singapore in December for joint exercises.
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