Cope India Exercise

Cope India Exercise

Subject : Defence

Concept :

• The `Cope India’ exercise between India and US from April 10 to 21 will “further enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces”.

Background

• Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise held at Air Station Gwalior, India.
• The exercise has evolved to incorporate subject matter expert exchanges, air mobility training, airdrop training and large-force exercises, in addition to fighter-training exercises.
• The exercise showcases U.S. and India’s efforts and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

About the exercise

• It is a bilateral exercise between the air forces of the two countries.
• The exercise comes amid India’s continuing three-year-long military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has seen Beijing and Moscow get into a tighter strategic clinch.

Aircrafts :

• The IAF will be fielding the French-origin Rafale, Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI and indigenous Tejas fighters as well as AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control) planes, C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft and IL-78 mid-air refuellers for the exercise.
• The US, in turn, will deploy F-15 Strike Eagle jets.