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Indo-French air exercise 'Garuda-5' kicks off today......

During the exercise, the participants are expected to perform multiple missions, including close combat engagement of large forces, slow mover safety, and protection and engagement of high-value aerial assets at the strategic airbase located near the Indo-Pak border, as reported earlier by Press Trust of India.

The wargame will primarily focus on air to air refuelling, basic and advanced fighter interceptions, protection of high-value aerial targets and group combat manoeuvring, according to the officials.

"The wargame will primarily focus on air to air refuelling, basic and advanced fighter interceptions."
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is represented by the frontline fighter aircraft, including Su-30, Mig-27 (UPG), Mig-21 Bison, and force multipliers such as the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) and IL-78flight refueller aircraft, while the French Air Force has deployed Rafale fighter aircraft along with their KC 135 refueller for the exercise, which scheduled to conclude on 12 June.

The last iteration of the exercise, Garuda IV, was conducted at the Istres Air Base in France, from 14 to 25 June 2010, and was also joined by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) along with their F-16 Fighting Falcon and KC-135 aircraft.

Indian, French air forces start Exercise Garuda V - Airforce Technology
 
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IAF Sukhoi 30 and FAF Rafale aircraft lined up during the ongoing Exercise Garuda-V. Photo: IAF


We can, the IAF had some of the most amazing paint jobs on its planes after WW2.

MiG-29y.jpg


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Why are the tips of the tail-fins in all the MKI's darker in color? is it just the paint or some kind of hardware installed in them?
 
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Livefist: French Pilots Fly IAF Flankers & Floggers, Indian Pilots Take Rafales Up At #Garuda5

We don't know yet if French Air Force chief General Denis Mercier (met him last year) will get behind the stick on an IAF Flanker at Garuda-V, but Livefist can confirm that over the last two days, Armée de l'Air pilots definitely have. At least 2 French pilots have done sorties Su-30 MKI and MiG-27s as well. IAF pilots have been taking spins in the 4 Rafales at Jodhpur as well, sources at the base confirmed.
Fascination about the Su-30 MKI is pervasive. Over the years, I've met scores of pilots in Europe and the US who said they'd do anything to get a chance to take one up. In 2008, Captain Hal Murdock, then commodore at Lemoore Naval Air Station, California told me that he and most of his pilots would give anything to fly a Flanker. A year before that, the USN pilot who flew me in an F/A-18F Super Hornet said he'd fly me again if I hooked him up with a Su-30 sortie.
 
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Crossposting from the MP forum:

So, it looks like all "Garuda"'s Rafale come from Al Dhafra UAE. (and are likely tranche 3 with old DDM)

Old MAWS, no AESA to showcase IAF. :(


Nice, thanks for sharing! I just realised not only how big the MKI is, but also how close the Rafale is in size to the Mig 21! :woot:

Mig 21 vs Rafale

Length:
14.5 (with pitot)m vs Length: 15.27 m
 
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Crossposting from the MP forum:



Old MAWS, no AESA to showcase IAF. :(
I wouldn't be too disappointed sir.


These joint exercises are planned on a military-milatry level and in this sense the top brass of the Armée de l'Air won't necessarily take Dassualt's marketing strategy into account when assigning which a/c go on a joint exercise to India. This is an operational SQD from the UAE and these pilots/a/c have been picked for a reason and these reasons are known by the Armée de l'Air. Remember how in Red Flag 08 the IAF chose to send an operational SQD over with their pilots and not TACDE pilots who had been whooping the USAF's backsides a few years earlier? The IAF wanted to get that kind of exposure to its young guys and frontline officers. If they had wanted to score another PR win they could've sent their "top guns" from TACDE.


One might like to think such considerations are made but in the real world this isn't a given.
 
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I wouldn't be too disappointed sir.


These joint exercises are planned on a military-milatry level and in this sense the top brass of the Armée de l'Air won't necessarily take Dassualt's marketing strategy into account when assigning which a/c go on a joint exercise to India.

There should be no doubt that Dassault could had bring the latest F3+ to India if they wanted, but that's only a loss for them and doesn't bother me too much. The disappointment for IAF however is, that they can't evaluate their capabilities as an airforce, with different of their fighter types, support aircrafts, their tactics and in the Indian environment, against one of the most modern fighter with AESA radar!
This would had been a chance that doesn't come that often, since not many air forces have such capabilities today, so that would have given IAF highly valuable experience!
The Rafale F3 still is of course a good multi role fighter and they will surely show it's capability to in A2A and A2G missions (one reason why the unusual fuel tank configs might had been chosen), but that's not something really new for IAF.
 
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