The IAF will take on US Air Force F-16 Falcons—one of the most elite fighter units in the US fleet—in a mock exercise starting on November 7 at the Kalaikunda air base. The 16 F-16s would be from the USAF 35th Wing based in Misawa in north Japan. The Misawa base, ‘‘helping defend Japan’’ is one of the most valuable and experienced offshore US air bases.It is also Washington’s main force projector against Beijing in the sensitive Pacific theatre, though no one may admit it. Established in the 1940s, Misawa base gives a forward presence to American forces with deployable squadrons of fighter assets and mission supporters. The Indian pilots would be encountering F-16s from the base flown by American pilots for the first time—IAF had held an exercise with Singapore's F-16s earlier this year.While the IAF will field MiG-27s, Sukhoi-30Ks, MiG-21 Bisons and Mirage-2000Hs, the American team will have a mixed squadron of new generation F-16CJ Falcons and F-16DJ Fighting Falcons.
