Indian Air Force to assess French aircraft at naval exercise
Dated 24/3/2006
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New Delhi: The sixth bilateral Indo-French naval exercise beginning on March 27 on India's western coast will provide an opportunity to the Indian Air Force to assess the capabilities of the Rafale aircraft that is one of the main contenders for the planned acquisition of 126 multi-role fighters by the host.
The IAF participating in the joint naval exercise for the first time, with its Jaguar and Canberra aircrafts, will assess the French Rafale multi-role fighter aircrafts being fielded by the French Navy, a top source said. The exercise of the generic series named 'Varuna 06' will be conducted near Goa from March 27 to April 7 in which five surface combatants of the Indian Navy, one submarine and a number of shore-based fixed wing and rotary wing aircrafts will take part, according to an official release.
The Indian Navy will field aircraft carrier Viraat, guided missile destroyer Mumbai, guided missile frigates Gomati and Betwa, fleet replenishment tanker Aditya and its submarine Shankul. The French Navy will field nuclear-propelled aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, guided missile destroyers Cassard and Montcalm, fleet-replenishment tanker Somme, nuclear powered submarine Saphir, French Atlantique II Maritime Patrol Aircraft apart from a frigate Lancaster from the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, the release informed.
The thrust areas of the exercise include dissimilar air combat, fleet air defence, intermediate and advanced anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction operations, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure procedures and tactical manoeuvres.
Other aspects of the exercise like coordinated operation of both the navies, firing on aerial targets, cross-deck operations, are being held for the first time by the Indian Navy.
