IAF contingent of 120 air warriors departs for Garuda wargame

Indian Air Force contingent departed for France to participate in Garuda VI exercise on Tuesday. The exercise will commence from July 1 and will culminate on July 12.

New Delhi:In a move to strengthen defence ties between India and France, Indian Air Force contingent today departed for France to participate in Garuda VI exercise.

The wargame will commence from July 1 and will go on till July 12. A total of 120 air warriors and 4 Sukhoi 30 along with IL- 78 flight refuelling aircraft will be available. Apart from this C 17, strategic lift aircraft will provide the logistic support to the contingent.

"This is one of the biggest air exercises that is being planned between two Air Forces. The Indian Air force Su- 30 MKI will be operating in a simulated operational warfighting scenario along with French Air forces multirole Rafale aircraft" said an IAF statement.

"Participation of IAF in the exercise will also promote professional interaction, exchange experiences and operational knowledge besides strengthening bilateral relations with French Air Force," added the statement.

In a video posted on Twitter by IAF, Bareilly Air Force Base Commander Air Commodore M Ranade said, "The Indo-French joint exercise Garuda is going to be conducted in France very shortly. This is the sixth edition of the exercise which is intended for both the air forces to exercise together and learn best practices each one has to offer."

"A contingent of 4x Su-30 MKI, 2x C-17 and a 1x 1L-78 tanker of the Indian Air Force will fly to France to participate in this exercise," he said.

Ranade said that IAF team is well prepared and they will be putting their best forward to project the prowess of the Indian Air Force.

"I will wish the entire contingent good flying, safe flying and mission accomplishment with safety in mind," he said.

Earlier, India and France had recently held naval drills in the Arabian Sea under the Varuna series wargames in which Indian naval fighters along with the Rafale-M of the French Air Force took part.

India and France are strategic partners and have been enhancing their strategic cooperation over the last many years.

The Narendra Modi government had signed a deal for 36 Rafale fighters in the year 2016. The first squadron would be based in Ambala while the second one would go to Hashimara on the China border.

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