During exercise, IAF successfully undertook all the planned missions, both by day and night, without abort of any mission

Participated by India for the first time, Exercise Desert Flag-VI, an annual multilateral large force employment exercise hosted by the UAE from March 4, successfully concluded on Saturday. Besides India, UAE, the US, France, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain had participated in the high profile air force exercise which was also attended by Jordan, Greece, Qatar, Egypt and South Korea as observer forces.

The objectives for the exercise were to expose coalition participating forces to large force employment, sharpen tactical capabilities, and enhance interoperability along with fostering closer relations between the participating forces.

The aim for the participating crew and specialist observers was to expose them to an operational environment in scenarios requiring multinational forces working together. Timely and seamless induction and de-induction was facilitated by IAF C-17 Globe master aircraft.

During the exercise IAF flew Large Force Engagement (LFE) missions in near realistic environment involving many aircraft of varied types. IAF successfully undertook all the planned missions, both by day and night, without any mission abort. All possible assistance was provided by UAE Air Force ensuring that all planned activities were completed in time.

IAF has been actively participating in operational international exercises, wherein collaborative engagements are enhanced. A multinational Exercise in UAE with friendly forces afforded a unique opportunity to gain valuable learning to all the participating forces. The knowledge gained, lessons learnt and bonds made during the course of Ex Desert Flag-VI will go a long way in bolstering professional capabilities of the participating forces.