Indradhanush 2015

[NKVD]

'm not sure how many confrontations in real life will take place within visual range, most of the new aircrafts are designed to never allow such a situation to develop.

The Confrontation Has Also Taken Place in Beyond Visual Range As High-lightened in Article.

 

[Asian.Century]

Indian source webnews , but if true British pilots and Typhoon jets need to be sacked, it could be India leaking Russian Sukhoi-30 vital info to Brits in exchange... $120m French Rafales r joke then.

 

[#hydra#]

Rafale has many advantages over Jaguar & Sukhoi34.
1) Speed over Jaguar is one big advantage.
2) lower RCS & IR signature level than both Jaguar & Sukhoi 34
3) Weapons & EW suits: SPECTRA, MICA, Optronique Secteur Frontal (OSF), MBDA Meteor has significant advantages over anything that Sukhoi 34 will field.
4) Highly tuned to carry out SEAD, DEAD strikes alone without any escort.
5) Damn good dogfighter.
6) More advance than any 4+ gen fighter fielded by our neighbours.

1) su 34 for is not a slugush,ys its having poor thrust weigt ratio.
2) agreed
3)world know much about EW suit of su34,but I am sure that it's not bad one.
4)su 34 is also a fighter bomber capable of doing above mentioned tasks,also its having monstrous fuel capacity and rang,payaload capacity compared to rafale.But rafi costs 3 times more than that of su34.
5) agreed rafale have advantage, but su34 also not bad.its a fighter bomber capable of engaging aerial targets,capable of carrying almost all flanker compatible A to A missiles.
6) simply not enough for China.if u want to target Chinese mainland, we need a fighter bomber capable enough to fly over tibeten plateau,and deliver ordinance and fly back safely to India .only su 34 is having that capability.For Pakistan and PAF our mig 29 and su30 is more than enough. We don't need rafale to tackle our western enemy.

 

[Abingdonboy]

NATO countries aren't that good in WVR combat ...

in Anatolian eagle PAF scored against RAF typhoons with F16 block 15 in WVRAAM with Zero loss .

here was the original comment of the PAF pilot at that time
NATO pilots are not that proficient in close-in air-to-air combat. They are trained for BVR [Beyond Visual Range] engagements and their tactics are based on BVR engagements. These were close-in air combat exercises and we had the upper hand because close-in air combat is drilled into every PAF pilot and this is something we are very good at.

Isn't this the exercise where the RAF wasn't even present?

 

[NKVD]

Indian source webnews , but if true British pilots and Typhoon jets need to be sacked, it could be India leaking Russian Sukhoi-30 vital info to Brits in exchange... $120m French Rafales r joke then.

Because Rafale Can Shot Down f-22 in Dog Fight In a Training exercise If you Take this Example.
Why So Much Insecurity its just Training Exercise

 

[Perpendicular]

Military Exercise – Indian Summer: Indradhanush 2015
by Elliott Marsh | Aug 6, 2015 |

July 2015 saw Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 ‘Flankers’ and their escorts descend on the United Kingdom for Exercise Indradhanush 2015. Rich Cooper writes.
In today’s unpredictable security and strategic environment, the deepening of alliances and fostering inter-operability is king. Military forces face an uncertain future that consists of rapid deployment to emerging hotspots in the face of shrinking budgets and operational force cuts – as such, the development of partnerships and understanding between allied nations has never held such importance.


The co-operation between the Royal Air Force and the Indian Air Force (the Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is one that clearly goes back generations, traced back to World War One when ten Indian pilots flew with the Royal Flying Corps and has been accelerated over the years, most recently including the Nepal relief work earlier this year. The most prominent UK/India military exercise has been the Indradhanush operations (meaning ‘Rainbow’ in the Hindu religion). This was the fourth of its kind and the second to have taken place in the UK, the first being in 2007 when six Su-30MKIs deployed to RAF Waddington.

So it was that, in late July 2015 between 20-31st of this mixed-weather month, the Indian Air Force’s 2 Squadron ‘Winged Arrows’ deployed four HAL-built Su-30MKIs from 11 Wing at Tezpur AFS in Northern India for the 13hr, three-day transit over three continents to operate with the RAF’s Typhoon FGR4s of No 3(F) Squadron out of RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Supporting the deployment were a C-17A Globemaster III from India’s 81 Squadron/28 Wing ‘Skylords’, a C-130J-30 Hercules from 77 Squadron/28 Wing ‘Veiled Vipers’, both from Hindon AFS, as well as an Il-78MKI ‘Midas’ tanker from 78 Squadron/41 Wing based at Agra AFS. The Il-78MKI tanker and the C-130J-30 transport were taking part in the exercise itself, each stationed at RAF Brize Norton for the duration, whilst 190 personnel supported the entire Indian deployment.

The exercise was designed to reinforce the strategic relationship between the UK and India and enhance the mutual operational understanding between the two air forces. ‘It helps in terms of diplomacy and future operations — you never know who you are going to need to partner with. We have a long and vested history with the Indians and it’s an amazing experience to work with them’, said Sqn Ldr Christian Jordan, OC 2 Sqn, RAF Regiment. The British Paratroopers worked with India’s Garud Commando Force (an IAF unit tasked with the protection of critical installations, SAR and humanitarian duties) out of RAF Honington and undertook multiple missions and para-drops from both Indian AF and RAF C-130Js flying from RAF Brize Norton.

The Indian AF ‘Flankers’ primarily worked with No 3(F) Squadron, which is commanded by Wg Cdr Chris Moon at RAF Coningsby. ‘We operated the exercise on a Crawl, Walk, Run basis’ explained Wg Cdr Moon. ‘The Crawl phase it was familiarisation sorties, getting used to UK airspace – though a few of the IAF pilots were trained at RAF Valley – and simple 1v1 sorties. Then we built up to 2v1, 2v2 and BVR, followed by the escalation into large force exercises with 8v8 BVR engagements’.

The largest mission of the exercise was the final one, undertaken on the afternoon of 29 July with ten Blue Force (six Typhoons and four ‘Flankers’) against ten Red Air with the objective being for the Blue Force to escort the two Hercules (one IAF, one RAF) from ‘Blueland’ into ‘Redland’ for a para-drop.

‘We also swapped between Red and Blue Air, including DACT’ continued Wg Cdr Moon, ‘but we’ve been primarily working together with the IAF against other Typhoon squadrons as well as the aggressor Hawk T1s from No 100 Squadron at RAF Leeming. There was also some joint-nation working as ‘White Force’ for STANEVAL purposes out of the AWC at RAF Waddington.

‘Whilst we are not likely to incur a 1v1 encounter with an aircraft like the Su-30 during our deployed ops to the Baltics for example, we do intercept Russian-built types and the chance for the Typhoon Force to go up against another, dissimilar high-performance aircraft was invaluable. It’s been great – you can read so much and be briefed so much on the ‘Flanker’ but it’s not until you’re up there with it that you see what it’s about. Between us, we operate two of the best dogfighters in the world, and it’s fair to say that the results have quite often come down to whoever was the best pilot on the day’.

Unlike the previous deployment, the IAF Su-30MKIs were permitted to use their full potential including their N011M radar, as well as the thrust vectoring control on their Lyulka AL-31FP engines. ‘We both have our strengths, the Typhoon is a ‘high-rate’ fighter and the ‘Flanker’s is a high-Alpha, slower-speed fighter’ continued Wg Cdr Moon. ‘We debrief over in the squadron and merge the tracks we fly and [are] able to read the Blue and Red Forces via RAIDS on the RAF jets and a similar system on the IAF jets, and you’ll be pleased to hear that the combined Typhoon and ‘Flanker’ package has been doing extremely well.

‘We also simulated air-to-ground mission, and we have simulated EPW2 drops as well as Paveway IVs and the Indian AF has simulated a vast variety of weapons. We have learnt that we operate in a very similar manner. You’d expect the types to have different strengths – such as two-seat versus single, and we do have subtly different weapons – but we have learnt that we can integrate together, certainly when it comes to the planning, briefing and debriefing. There were very few surprises and we achieved all of our objectives.’ This was echoed by Sqn Ldr Avi Arya, a Qualified Weapons Instructor responsible for training pilots on the radar and weapons systems of the Su-30. He said: ‘Both are Fourth Generation aircraft and so are matched evenly, so the learning value comes from the person to person contact, it’s the man behind the machine which matters. All fighter pilots speak the same language, that’s the common thing we have and it’s very comfortable to learn from each other.’

Wg Cdr Moon’s No 3(F) Squadron took the lead but others were desperate to join the fight. ‘Of course, from second we knew they were coming we were bombarded with requests from all over the RAF for people to get involved in the exercise’ he said. ‘The Lossiemouth squadrons were not so involved due to logistics, but the Coningsby-based units have been involved at any chance they could.’

The pilots clearly relished the chance. Speaking shortly after his first encounter with the thrust-vectoring equipped Su-30MKI, Typhoon pilot Flt Lt Mike Highmoor had no doubt about the values of the bilateral exercise: ‘This is fantastic. It’s the first time I’ve flown against a ‘Flanker’ this morning and it’s fascinating to see another air force do its thing in a different aeroplane. Flying against an aircraft which is equally comparable to the Typhoon isn’t something we get to fight against on a regular basis in the UK. It’s very exciting. It’s an incredibly impressive fighter but the Typhoon is a good match for it.’

Opposing Flt Lt Highmoor on that first sortie was Sqn Ldr Amit Gehani who trained with the RAF in the UK. He said: ‘It’s going well. We’re flying a lot of missions that are proving our air combat missions. We brief on the ground, we go up there, set up the fights and thereafter it’s a free for all! The Typhoon is a good aircraft, a very powerful aircraft. The RAF pilots here are really amazing and flying with the Typhoon we’re learning a lot of new lessons, which we will take back to India. Of course we’re also giving some good points back to the Typhoon pilots.’

Leader of the Indian Contingent was Grp Capt Ashu Srivastav, a previous ‘Flanker’ squadron commander responsible for bringing the jets into IAF service and holding over 2,200hrs on the type. ‘Comparing the two fighters I have to be politically correct; both have got their plus and minus points, but I am going to say that the ‘Flanker’ probably has more plus points due to its super-manoeuvrability and BVR system is very good’ he said. ‘We are highly manoeuvrable in close combat and we employ the vectoring whenever we need to depending on the combat situation – generally speaking, we use it when we feel that the opponent is in a position where it cannot manoeuvre but we can, and so we can use TVC to still get the shot. We have had no restriction on IRS-T or the radar usage’. But Grp Capt Srivastav was keen to sing the Typhoon’s praises, saying ‘Typhoon is extremely good in high rates of turn and that has been great to see…’ before adding with a wry grin ‘But we have a counter for that…!’

‘Before the exercise started the RAF and IAF decided the parameters of the BVR missile launch ranges in order to operate in commonality’, Grp Capt Srivastav explained. ‘That has been the way we worked. We are here to share experience and fine-tune the way we operate, not engage in live combat, hence we used a common figure.

‘Of the 190 personnel we brought over, 20 were aircrew as a mix of 15 pilots and five WSOs with a cross-section of flight experience (pilots can fly as WSO but not vice-versa), which is representative of the way we work back home. Reliability has been very good, which is why we only needed to bring four aircraft this time round and, as of late last year and after a decade of development, HAL now has a full thrust-vectoring maintenance facility so we no longer need to send them to Russia for overhaul. In terms of the future, we have an upgrade planned for a better radar (possibly Zhuk AESA) and weapons systems (potentially including full integration of the Novator KS-172 AAM and BrahMos cruise missile), and are looking forward to welcoming the RAF back to India next year.’

The value that both the IAF and the RAF put on this exercise was abundantly clear. But, no matter what the outcome of the dogfight and pitting the nimble, skilled Typhoon force against the brutish ‘Flankers’, there was one thing that was clear as summarised by Wg Cdr Moon. ‘The RAF and IAF both pride ourselves on operating some of the leading edge technical equipment in the world. However without the people to support that we are nothing so that’s where our real strength lies’. No doubt, the opportunity to foster such relationships will only become more important as time moves on.

 

[ice_man]

people always under estimate the Russian technology. when infact the russians have better technology always remember the inital days of Mig21s or Mig25s.

however, media hype and failure to maintain is what spoils the Russian military image.

 

[IND151]

In some of the most intense international air combat exercises ever featuring the Indian Air Force, IAF pilots flying Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighters had a resounding 12-0 scoreline in their favour against Royal Air Force Typhoon jets in Within Visual Range (WVR) dogfighting operations.

In subsequent Large Force Exercises (LFE) which featured combined Eurofighter Typhoon and Su-30 formations, the IAF jets were somewhat less successful but consistently held an edge over the Typhoon.( Talking About BVR Engagements)

In an exclusive interview, Group Captain Ashu Srivastav, the Contingent Commander in the exercises, told NDTV that the performance of his pilots was “exceptional.” According to Group Captain Srivastav, who happens to be the IAF’s most experienced Su-30 pilot, his pilots showed “flexibility and adaptability to a new environment and operating conditions and on this benchmark, I would rate them exceptional.”

The 10-day exercises which commenced on July 21 was the fourth edition of the Indo-UK Bilateral exercise called ‘Indradhanush’. IAF aircraft and personnel were based out of three Royal Air Force bases: four IAF Su-30 fighters operated out of RAF Coningsby, C-17 and C-130J Hercules transports were positioned at Brize Norton and Garud Commandos of the IAF operated alongside British forces at RAF Honington. The IAF also deployed an Ilyushin IL-78 air to air refuelling tanker at Brize Norton.

The IAF fleet departed India on July 15, with the fighters refuelling twice mid-air ahead of their first pit-stop at Taif in Saudi Arabia (near Jeddah). The formation then proceeded to Athens on July 16, refuelling once before their arrival. After another halt for one night, IAF aircraft flew onto the UK again refuelling once mid-air.


For the Royal Air Force, the chance to train against the Russian-designed Su-30, arguably the finest fourth generation fighter aircraft in the world, is rare. India is the largest international operator of the super-maneuverable fighter and was equally keen to pit the skills of its Top Guns against the RAF’s new Eurofighter Typhoon, the mainstay of the RAF’s fighter fleet.

The first week of the exercises pitted the Su-30, which NATO calls the Flanker, in a series of aerial dogfight scenarios. First, there were 1 v 1 encounters, where a single jet of each type engaged each other in Within Visual Range (WVR) combat, firing simulated missiles to a range of two miles. The exercises progressed to 2 v 2 engagements with two Eurofighters taking on two Su-30s and 2 v 1 exercises where two Sukhois took on a single Typhoon and vice versa. Notably, in the exercise where a lone Su-30 was engaged by two Typhoons, the IAF jet emerged the victor ‘shooting’ down both ‘enemy’ jets.

In all dog fighting exercises, IAF Sukhois were able to turn sharply into the extremely agile Typhoons using their thrust-vectored engines to keep the RAF jets locked in their sights. The Su-30’s advanced Infrared Search and Track System (IRST), a passive sensor, which cannot be tracked, proved to be a distinct advantage for the IAF’s pilots in close-combat maneuvering. Both the IAF and RAF used the full capabilities of their onboard radars, albeit in training mode, which meant that actual radar frequencies used in combat conditions were never exposed for confidentiality reasons. However, the detection ranges of the radars of both aircraft were not curtailed per se. This was air combat as close to the real thing as possible.

The pilots themselves ranged from young Flight Lieutenants to senior Group Captains from either side drawn directly from Typhoon squadrons and the IAF’s 2 Squadron, The Winged Arrows, based in Kalaikunda. The idea was for both sides to expose their operational pilots to a modern frontline platform of the same class. Accordingly, the IAF did not deploy any senior pilots serving with its Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE).

By the time the exercises shifted to Large Force Engagements (LFE) in the second week, IAF pilots were comfortable operating in British conditions. The Large Force Engagements saw mixed formation scenarios where the IAF operated its jets alongside RAF Typhoons in air battles against fellow Su-30s flying together with other Typhoons.

The Large Force Engagements saw 4 v 4 engagements at beyond visual range and graduated to a massive 8 v 8 engagement featuring 16 aircraft in the skies near Coningsby. IAF pilots shared tactical information with RAF pilots in their formations using radio communications since the IAF’s data-link system (which shares critical sensor data with friendly aircraft) was not compatible with the Link 16 system in use with NATO aircraft like the Typhoon.

Asked about the performance of IAF pilots in these Large Force Engagements, Group Captain Srivastav told NDTV his pilots performed “fairly well” though “quantifying [the results] is difficult”. It was not unexpected for the IAF to “lose” one or two jets (over all the Large Force Engagements put together) given that the movement of each formation was directed by fighter controllers coordinating an overall air battle. Both sides agreed to simulate their Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missiles at 25 miles for offensive missions and 22 miles for defensive scenarios.

IAF C-130 and Il-78 jets also participated in the Large Force engagements where they were “defended” by the fighter formations they were flying with against ‘enemy’ attacks.

The IAF also encountered no serviceability issues with any of its participating jets. All Su-30s were available for the daily exercises which took place over two blocks, one in the morning, the other in the afternoon for a total of eight sorties daily.

Praising the support the IAF received from the RAF, Group Captain Srivastav told NDTV, “The hosts were very good. They were ready to extend exceptional support.”

The sense of camaraderie extended to C-17 transport pilots of both sides. According to Group Captain Srivastav, “There was good interaction between young pilots. The C-17 Squadron of the RAF wanted some help in Kathmandu [following the Nepal earthquake]. We helped them then, this was more than reciprocated.” RAF pilots showcased their assault landing and combat off-loading experiences with IAF pilots observing from the cockpit of the big jet. IAF pilots shared their experiences of operating the C-17 at high altitudes.

Over the last decade, the Indian Air Force has been very keen to develop its Garud Commando Force meant to protect its assets such as air bases and also be deployed behind enemy lines if required. Operating alongside British forces in the UK, the IAF Garud commandos participated in a 96-hour camp in a training area close to Honington. This involved reconnaissance and surveillance missions and a combat free fall para-jump with British forces.

Back in India now, the IAF, like the Royal Air Force, is keen to point out that the exercises were a learning and training opportunity, and should not be seen as a battle between the IAF and the RAF, who are close allies and partners. According to Group Captain Srivastav, “It was all about learning from each others experiences and to fine tune our own procedures.”

At the end of the day, though, for the IAF, these exercises were about gauging the skill levels of its own pilots and the aircraft they operate. For the IAF, these exercises came as positive news on where they stand against some of the best of the West.

Indian Air Force Sukhois Dominate UK Fighter Jets in Combat Exercises

This shows how much great MKI is.

Results are not very surprising.

Hope Super MKI becomes reality soon.

 

[Abingdonboy]

NATO countries aren't that good in WVR combat ...

in Anatolian eagle PAF scored against RAF typhoons with F16 block 15 in WVRAAM with Zero loss .

here was the original comment of the PAF pilot at that time
NATO pilots are not that proficient in close-in air-to-air combat. They are trained for BVR [Beyond Visual Range] engagements and their tactics are based on BVR engagements. These were close-in air combat exercises and we had the upper hand because close-in air combat is drilled into every PAF pilot and this is something we are very good at.

You guys love to follow in the PAF footsteps dont you...
RAF Eurofighter Typhoons 'beaten by Pakistani F-16s'- RAF Eurofighter Typhoons 'beaten by Pakistani F-16s' • The Register

Leave it man, despite PAF repeatedly taking out the Typhoon, F-15 Eagles and the F/A-18 Hornets, PAF never officially went about chest thumping

I also remember reading a Pakistani Air Force press release claiming that their F16s had achieved virtually the same thing against RAF Typhoons at an exercise that the Typhoon wasn't even at.
Excercise Indradhanush [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums

Still at least the Indian Su30s faced the Typhoons unlike the massive well publicised* drubbing the RAF Typhoons received at the hands of Pakistani F16s, a revelation only marred by the fact there was a severe absence of Typhoons involved in the exercise.

Indian Air Force Sukhois dominate UK fighter jets in combat exercises | Army Rumour Service

 

[sathya]

This shows how much great MKI is.

Results are not very surprising.

Hope Super MKI becomes reality soon.

One place where we are ahead , and clearly have ample time to upgrade ..

 

[Indian Patriot]

Joint exercises are not a competition to find out which air force (or any military arm) has the better pilots or upper hand. It is meant to evaluate, exchange and improve on tactics, build co-operation and synergy between two forces. Results of "who won or who lost" have absolutely no value when it comes to real life battle scenario.

 

[Indian Jatt]

Listen moron, don't bring your Indian table manners into discussion, have you never heard of the term, Barking Bharti......so don't apply that on others. And stop pulling stuff out of where sun don't shine, the so called interview had nothing to do with the actual exercise since PAF never exercised with RAF......those Typhoons belonged to another European country and PAF then never had the BVR capability, hence no such scenario took place alas your claim is just BS.

Have u heard about “feared Pakistani"?????? I have never seen someone criticizing india so much.......thats not ur right!!!!is it???stay away from indian matters and perform ur duties with some respect......because if u dont respect ur work then stop criticizing others work.....if progress with 8-10% economic growth seems to be easy then u can have a go......stop putting ur leg everywhere and maybe u r wise enough decide

 

[Gandhi follower]

Lol... Now windjammer also talking about credible sources. Isn't paf painted red a usa battleship. Lol

 

[Asian.Century]

If it can beat the Typhoon, then India shouldn't buy the Rafale since its similar.

yes, per the Indian web source Su-30 mki is much superior to British Eurofighter Typhoon..LoL...12-0 shoot down record.......then the French Rafale 4.5 Gen , with a hefty price tag, is a complete idiotic waste and a crap fighter.

 

[Fenrir]

Here's some photos of the event: