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Context

• The `Cope India’ exercise between India and US from April 10 to 21 will “further enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces”.

About the exercise

• It is a bilateral exercise between the air forces of the two countries.
• The exercise comes amid India’s continuing three-year-long military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has seen Beijing and Moscow get into a tighter strategic clinch.

Aircrafts

• The IAF will be fielding the French-origin Rafale, Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI and indigenous Tejas fighters as well as AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control) planes, C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft and IL-78 mid-air refuellers for the exercise.
• The US, in turn, will deploy F-15 Strike Eagle jets.

Background

• Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise held at Air Station Gwalior, India.
• The exercise has evolved to incorporate subject matter expert exchanges, air mobility training, airdrop training and large-force exercises, in addition to fighter-training exercises.
• The exercise showcases U.S. and India’s efforts and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Recent Exercises of IAF

Veer Guardian

• India deployed four Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, two C-17s, one IL-78 and around 150 IAF personnel, for the first-ever air exercise with Japan called ‘Veer Guardian’ at the Hyakuri air base in January.

Desert Flag

• 5 Tejas fighters, two C-17s and 110 personnel were dispatched for the multi-nation `Desert Flag’ exercise at UAE from February 23 to March 17.
• This was the first time that the home-grown Tejas light combat aircraft took part in an international exercise outside India.

Cobra Warrior

• 5 Mirage-2000 fighters, two C-17s, one IL-78 and 145 personnel of the IAF also took part in another multi-nation exercise `Cobra Warrior’ in the UK from March 6 to 24.

Shinyuu Maitri

• The IAF also participated in the `Shinyuu Maitri’ exercise with the Japan Air Self Defence Force at Komatsu, on the side-lines of the bilateral Army exercise `Dharma Guardian’ from February 13 to March 2.
  

Joint Exercises conducted by Army

S. No.	Country	Exercise
1.	Australia	Ex AUSTRA HIND
2.	Bangladesh	Ex SAMPRITI
3.	China	Ex HAND IN HAND
4.	France	Ex SHAKTI
5.	Indonesia	Ex GARUDA SHAKTI
6.	Kazakhstan	Ex PRABAL DOSTYK
7.	Kyrgyzstan	Ex KHANJAR
8.	Maldives	Ex EKUVERIN
9.	Mongolia	Ex NOMADIC ELEPHANT
10.	Myanmar	IMBEX
11.	Nepal	Ex SURYA KIRAN
12.	Oman	AL NAGAH
13.	Russia	Ex INDRA
14.	Seychelles	Ex LAMITIYE
15.	Sri Lanka	Ex MITRA SHAKTI
16.	Thailand	Ex MAITREE
17.	UK	Ex AJEYA WARRIOR
18.	USA	Ex YUDHABHAYAS
		Ex VAJRA PRAHAR
19.	Vietnam	VINBAX
20.	Multinational (ADMM Plus)	Ex FORCE 18

 Joint Exercises conducted by Navy

S. No.	Country	Exercise
1.	Australia	AUSINDEX
2.	Bangladesh	IN-BN CORPAT
3.	Brazil & South Africa	IBSAMAR
4.	France	VARUNA
5.	Indonesia	IND-INDO CORPAT
		IND-INDO BILAT
6.	Malaysia	IN-MN Table Top Ex
7.	Myanmar	IMCOR
		IN-MN BILAT
8.	Oman	Naseem-al-Bahr
9.	Russia	INDRA NAVY
10.	Sri Lanka	SLINEX
11	Singapore	SIMBEX
12.	Thailand	INDO-THAI CORPAT
13	UAE	In-UAE BILAT
14	UK	KONKAN
15.	USA	MALABAR
		RIMPAC (Multilateral)
16	Multilateral Exercise by Brunei	ADMM+ Exercise
17	Multilateral Exercise by Indonesia	Ex KOMODO
18	Multilateral Exercise by India	MILAN

Joint Exercises conducted by Air Force

S. No.	Country	Exercise
1.	Bangladesh	Table Top Ex
2.	Israel	Ex Blue Flag-17
3.	Oman	Ex EASTERN BRIDGE-IV
4.	Russia	Ex INDRA-17
5.	Singapore	JOINT MILITARY TRAINING
6.	Thailand	Ex SIAM BHARAT
7.	UAE	DESERT EAGLE-II
8.	UK	INDRADHANUSH-IV
9.	USA	RED FLAG 16-1
10.	Multinational Air Exercise	Ex Samvedna with Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, UAE

PRACTICE QUESTION Q) How many of the following pairs with reference to India’s joint exercises is/are incorrectly matched?     Country     ::Exercise a. Bangladesh::Table Top. b. France      ::Varuna. c. USA          :: Hand-in-hand. Only 1 Only 2 Only 3 None of the above Answer: Option I

 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-us-to-kick-off-major-air-combat-exercise-at-kalaikunda-this-month-with-japan-as-observer/articleshow/99194409.cms?from=mdr