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Journalism of Courage
The Defence Ministry was all caution four months ago when Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy asked for two Su-30 MKI fighters for the show at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland alongside the World Air Chiefs’ Conference. A month on, its fighter planes will spar with America’s best in a joint air exercise, the first in 40 years for both countries.
The Ministry, in consultation with External Affairs, had turned down Krishnaswamy’s request as it did not want to ‘‘reveal’’ its top air combatant to the world. Come February 16 and the IAF’s Su-30K (air defence version) will duel with American F-15C Eagle; in July, IAF’s Jaguars will be the first combat aircraft to fly to Alaska for a multilateral air exercise.
With more than 150 sorties planned over Gwalior, home to the IAF’s Battle Axe and Tiger Mirage-2000 squadrons, Exercise Cope Thunder ’04 is all that the IAF’s fighter pilots have dreamt of —to be pitted against the best in the world and learn lessons that will prove invaluable in war.
Little wonder then that short of SU-30 MKI, the IAF is fielding its finest fighters — Mirage-2000 and SU-30K to the upgraded MiG-21 Bison, MiG-29 interceptors and MiG-27 ground attack aircraft in a strike role. The forces will work out war tactics through the exercise from February 16 to 26.
