In a decisive move to bolster its aerial combat capabilities, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed its Rafale fighter jets to participate in the high-intensity Red Flag-Alaska 24-2 exercise.
Engaging in complex war games with U.S. F-35 and F-16 fighters, the IAF aims to deepen interoperability with allied forces and test the Rafale’s mettle in simulated combat against advanced aircraft.
Red Flag-Alaska 24-2 is a premier event organized by the United States Pacific Air Forces, designed to offer a hyper-realistic threat environment across more than 77,000 square miles of Alaskan airspace.
The exercise hosts over 3,100 personnel and more than 100 aircraft from four nations, providing rigorous training that ranges from individual skill enhancement to complex joint engagements.
As tensions persist border, the IAF’s Rafale deployment is not merely an exercise in skill but a strategic projection of its preparedness for potential real-world conflicts.
The United States Pacific Air Forces have quoted that “Red Flag-Alaska is designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment enabling joint combined forces to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability with fellow servicemembers.”
The Rafale, a fourth-generation combat aircraft, has been developed for a range of missions, including air-superiority and ground attacks, boasting a quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire system and a stealthy airframe to maintain agility at high angles of attack.
During Red Flag-Alaska, the Rafale’s capacities are being scrutinized against the F-35, enabling the IAF to gain invaluable insights and experience.
Strategically, the exercise encapsulates far more than aerial maneuvering and dogfights.
It embodies the ongoing commitment to fostering stronger Indo-U.S. defence ties, highlighted by the meeting of the Indo-US joint working group under the Defence Tech and Trade Initiative in New Delhi.
These engagements aim to overcome challenges through collaborative research and co-production, further aligning India with global defence partnerships and the shared objectives of regional security and stability.
En route to Alaska, the IAF Rafale fighters demonstrated formidable logistical capabilities and operational readiness, supported by IL-78 air-to-air refuellers and C-17 transport aircraft, traversing the transatlantic with staging halts in Greece and Portugal.
Such strategic movements underscore the extended reach and versatility of the IAF’s modernized fleet.
The final planning conference for the exercise was held in March at Naval Base Point Loma Annex in San Diego.
“RIMPAC 2024 contributes to the increased interoperability, resiliency and agility needed by the Joint and Combined Force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict,” the U.S. statement added.
Relevant articles:
– Dassault Rafale Fighters Will Soon ‘Dogfight’ U.S. F-35 and F-16 Warplanes, National Intererst, 06/04/2024
– India joins U.S.’s Red Flag air and RIMPAC naval exercises, The Hindu, 06/03/2024
– Indian Air Force Contingent Joins Advanced Aerial Combat Training at Red Flag, Republic World, 06/01/2024