Article Posted on : - Apr 21, 2014

A file photo.

JODHPUR (PTI): India and France would start a ten-day joint air exercise 'Garuda-5', aimed at training the pilots and crew of Indian and French fighters in air superiority operations in Rajasthan's Jodhpur airbase from June 3, IAF sources said.

Both the Indian Air Force and French Air Force would be engaged in various missions ranging from close combat engagement of large forces, slow mover protection, and protecting and engaging high-value aerial assets in the exercise at the strategic airbase near Indo-Pak border, they said.

The flying consisting of air to air refuelling, basic and advanced fighter interceptions, protection of high-value aerial targets and group combat manoeuvring would be the main focus of the exercise, IAF sources said.

Objective of the exercise is to expose IAF pilots to French Fighter Tactics and French pilots to Indian Fighter Tactics, to expose IAF aircrew to Air to Air Refuelling, Cross-servicing of a common type between ground crews and understanding basic concepts of each countries' fighter operations.

Four Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft and one air Refueler aircraft with more than 100 personnel would form the France delegation.

"The focus of the Air Exercise from June 3 to June 13 is learning from each other's best practices," Defence spokesperson Col SD Goswami told PTI.