Indian Air Force team leaves to participate in Exercise Cobra Warrior at Waddington in UK

The next few weeks will see the Indian Air Force (IAF) participating in two multi -nation exercises taking place almost simultaneously in the United Kingdom (UK) and West Asia.

An IAF contingent which includes Mirage 2000 fighters will take part in the international air exercise known as 'Exercise Cobra Warrior 23' in the United Kingdom from March 6 to 24.

Another IAF contingent comprising the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is participating in the multilateral exercise 'Exercise Desert Flag' in the United Arab Emirates from February 27 to March 17.

On Sunday, a group of 145 IAF personnel traveled from the Air Force Station in Jamnagar, Gujarat to take part in Exercise Cobra Warrior 23 at the Waddington Air Force Base of the UK's Royal Air Force.

Exercise Cobra Warrior is a multilateral air exercise in which the Royal Air Force and Indian Air Force will be joined by air forces from Finland, Sweden, South Africa, the United States of America, and Singapore.

The IAF is taking part in the exercise this year with five Mirage 2000 fighters, two C-17 Globemaster III, and an IL-78 mid-air refueling aircraft. The exercise's goal is to engage in a variety of fighter aircraft engagements and learn from the top strategies employed by other Air Forces.

The IAF had announced on Saturday that the homegrown Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will participate in a multilateral exercise called 'Exercise Desert Flag' in the United Arab Emirates. The IAF will participate with two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and five LCA aircraft.

The drill begins on February 27 and will go through March 17. The exercise would involve the air forces of the United Arab Emirates, France, Kuwait, Australia, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, the Republic of Korea, and the United States.