[CA] Ex. TIGER TRIUMPH

In consonance with the growing partnership between India and the US, the maiden India US joint Tri services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise named ‘TIGER TRIUMPH’ is scheduled on the Eastern seaboard from Nov 13 – 21, 2019.

The Harbour Phase is scheduled at Visakhapatnam from Nov 13 – 16, 2019. The Opening Ceremony along with a Joint Flag Parade and Media Interaction will be held onboard INS Jalashwa on Nov 14, 2019.

[CA] Chinook Helicopters

On March 25, 2019, the IAF formally inducted the CH 47 F(I)- Chinook heavy lift helicopters into its inventory at Air Force Station Chandigarh.

IAF had signed a contract with M/s Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 15 Chinook helicopters. The first batch of four helicopters has been delivered on schedule and the last batch is to be delivered by March next year. These helicopters will be deployed in the Northern and Eastern regions of India.

The addition of heavy-lift CH 47 F(I) helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Force’s helicopter fleet. The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and capability roadmap. The helicopter has a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, advanced cargo handling capabilities and electronic warfare suite that complement the aircraft’s performance. The helicopter is capable of airlifting diverse military and non military loads into remote locations.

[CA] Ex COPE INDIA 2018

Ex Cope India-18 is the fourth edition in the series of Bilateral Joint exercise held between IAF and USAF, which is conducted in India. This is the first time, the exercise is being planned at two Air Force bases, Kalaikunda and Panagarh from 03-14 Dec 18. USAF is participating with 12 X F15 C/D and 03 X C-130. IAF is participating with the Su-30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 , C-130J & AWACS aircraft.

The aim of exercise is to provide operational exposure and undertake mutual exchange of best practices towards enhancing operational capability.

[CA] STA-1

US President Donald Trump’s decision to grant India the STA-1 (Strategic Trade Authorisation) trading status equivalent to American allies for procurement of military weapons is a big rebuff to China for blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

[CA] Indo - PACOM

USA renamed is strategically important Pacific Command (PACOM) as the U. S. Indo – Pacific command, in a move widely seen as a public expression of America’s keenness to count India as key partner in strategic planning. The Trump Administration has already seen using the term Indo – Pacific instead of Asia – Pacific in official documents