Describing Ex Indra 2019 – which will involve the air force, army and navy – as an `important experience’, the Air Chief said that the exercise will be themed around joint anti terrorism operations

by Manu Pubby

The officer shared that the Indian air force is looking to upgrade its mainstay Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets and has asked the Russian side to share technical proposals.

The armed forces are looking forward to learning from the experience of the Syria war with a large scale joint exercise planned with Russia later this year, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa has said.

Describing Ex Indra 2019 – which will involve the air force, army and navy – as an `important experience’, the Air Chief said that the exercise will be themed around joint anti terrorism operations.

“The main theme of the exercise will be Joint Anti-Terrorism operations under UN mandate. For us, this is a very important experience and the aspects what we would like to learn from you are your experience of using the aviation against terrorists in Syria,” the officer said in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian military.

The Air Chief, who visited Russia last week and flew a Yak 130 trainer aircraft, said that Indian pilots are interested in learning from the experience of the Russian air force during the Syrian operations.

“We also understand that these exercise are very useful for establishing closer contacts and sharing experience with your pilots, who know their aircraft like no one else. The same aircraft are in service with us: MiGs, Su-30, Mi-17 - we are piloting the same machines,” he said, adding that only Indian air force assets would be utilised during the exercise.

The air force chief also described the S 400 anti air system that has been ordered by India, as a `game changer’ in the region.

“They significantly improve the operational capabilities of our Air Force and Air Defence. This is a very important moment for me, since I myself had once been trained to operate the Pechora anti-aircraft missile system. Therefore, it was a big event for me to see the latest S-400 and compare it with the Air Defence System that I had initially operated,” he said.

The officer shared that the Indian air force is looking to upgrade its mainstay Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets and has asked the Russian side to share technical proposals.

“We are now considering the possibility of upgrading the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, which we have been operating for about 20 years. Accordingly, their avionics and weapons systems also need to be modernised. We have requested the Russian side to provide us with the proposals for modernisation according to the current requirements,” he said.

While the air chief said that there was currently no required of a Yak-130 type of trainer in the fleet, he said options will be opened for the SU 57 fifth generation fighter jet only after it enters service in the Russian air force as a fully operational combat aircraft.

“Only when it enters in service with the Russian Air Force can we can make a decision. We'll be ready to consider the matter of its acquisition only when we see it in action and it is offered to us for evaluation,” he said.