India joins U.S.’s Red Flag air and RIMPAC naval exercises

Indian Air Force and Navy participate in multinational war games with U.S. counterparts, to showcase advanced capabilities.

Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy are taking part in two mega multinational war games hosted by their U.S. counterparts. The IAF has deployed Rafale fighter jets for the two-week multinational air exercise Red Flag which commenced in Alaska on May 30. On the other hand, the Indian Navy is deploying the indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik for Ex RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) scheduled to be held in Hawaii from June 25 to August 2.

“Onwards and Upwards. An IAF contingent arrived today at the Eielson AF Base of US airforce, at Alaska, US, to participate in the upcoming edition of the multi-national exercise Red Flag 24. Ably supported by its IL-78 air-to-air refuellers and the C-17 transport aircraft, the IAF Rafale fighters took a transatlantic flight with staging halts at Greece and Portugal,” IAF said on May 30 on social media ‘X’. Aimed to integrate aircrew in a multinational environment, Ex Red Flag is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise, it added.

For this, the IAF has deployed eight Rafale fighters, three C-17 transport aircraft and two IL-78 mid-air refuelling aircraft, officials confirmed. India has taken part in Ex Red Flag in the past which even saw the deployment of Russian SU-30MKI fighter jets.

Red Flag-Alaska is designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment, according to the USAF. “Approximately 3100 service members are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 100 aircraft from 4 nations scheduled to participate in Red Flag-Alaska 24-2,” it said in a statement.

The primary flight operations are to be held over the Joint Pacific Alaska range complex and aircraft based at Eielson Air Force Base and joint base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. 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 service members, USAF said. “The exercises can be adapted to integrate various forces into a realistic threat environment using the more than 77,000 square miles of airspace in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which is the largest combat training range in the world.”

Indian Navy said on June 1 that INS Shivalik, mission deployed to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, departed Singapore on May 30 for onward passage to Yokosuka, Japan to participate in Japan-India maritime exercise JIMEX-24 scheduled to be held mid-June and then onward to RIMPAC-24. “This deployment is aimed at enhancing the degree of interoperability with the JMSDF, US Navy and other partner navies participating in RIMPAC 24,” the Navy said in a statement.

Approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial RIMPAC exercise scheduled from June 26 to August 2, in and around the Hawaiian Islands, according to a statement from the Commander U.S. third fleet public affairs. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971 and is the world’s largest international maritime exercise.