India, France, and the UAE are conducting a significant air combat exercise over the Arabian Sea to bolster trilateral defense cooperation and interoperability. The Indian Air Force is deploying advanced fighter jets and support aircraft, while France and the UAE will participate with their own Rafale and Mirage fleets.
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday will conduct a major air combat exercise with France and the UAE over the Arabian Sea, with the aim to further strengthen trilateral defence cooperation and enhance military interoperability in the Indian Ocean region and the larger Indo-Pacific.The IAF will deploy several fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs and Jaguars, backed by IL-78 mid-air refuellers and AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control) aircraft, from airbases like Jamnagar and Naliya in Gujarat for the intensive combat manoeuvres.France and the UAE, in turn, will field Rafale and Mirage fighters as well as other aircraft from the Al Dhafra airbase. India has issued a Notam (notice to airmen) for the exercise area, located around 200 nautical miles from Karachi in Pakistan, on Dec 10-11. The three countries had also undertaken such an air combat exercise called “Desert Knight” in Dec 2024.India has been regularly undertaking such exercises to build military synergy with countries in the region, especially the Persian Gulf, in conjunction with other stakeholders like France, the US and Australia. “Bilateral, trilateral and multilateral exercises help refine combat skills, tactics and procedures in a realistic operational environment,” an officer said. The navies of India, France and the UAE, incidentally, had also conducted their first ever trilateral maritime partnership exercise to hone their combat skills against traditional as well as non-traditional threats through a wide spectrum of operations on the high seas in June 2023.Under the trilateral framework launched by their foreign ministers in 2022, India, France and the UAE are working on several areas, including defence, technology, energy and environment, in tune with an ambitious roadmap chalked out by the countries.
