COPE INDIA EXERCISE

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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

 Joint Exercises conducted by Navy

Joint Exercises conducted by Air Force

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