The head of the IAF participated in a joint exercise with his French counterpart, General Stéphane Mille. Chaudhari flew in a Rafale fighter jet, while Mille, chief of staff of the French Air and Space Force (FASF), flew a Sukhoi Su-30.
"Leading by example. Chiefs from both the #IAF & @Armee_de_lair (FASF) took to the skies in one of the multi-aircraft missions flown during #ExerciseGaruda," the IAF tweeted. "The unique flight provided the perfect overview of the Exercise to both the Commanders," it said.
As he described his excitement at taking to the skies in the Su-30 for the first time, Mille added that they could work together to complete some high-level missions, such as refuelling in midair during one-hour sorties using the A-330 multi role tanker transport aircraft. "We've learnt how to carry forward the interoperability and expose our pilots to each other's best practices," Mille told reporters.
In addition, Chaudhari asserted the importance of the air force in all future conflicts, saying that the IAF required four or five squadrons of 4.5 generation aircraft for its inventory.
Such exercises are essential for honing the skills and experience, he continued. The IAF chief claimed that the number of participating aircraft and level of difficulty both rise with each exercise.
'"We have four fleets participating in the exercise this time. LCH Tejas and French Multi Role Tanker Transport are the first time participants in this seventh edition of the Indo-French joint exercise," he said. The seventh edition of the bilateral exercise, Garuda VII, unfolded on 26 October and is slated to continue till 12 November.
(With inputs from PTI)
