The British Royal Air Force (RAF) and Indian Air Force (IAF) are participating in a two-week bilateral air and ground exercise, Exercise Indradanush, in the UK.
The exercise saw the participation of four Su-30MKI Flanker fighters from 2 Squadron IAF along with RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire in order to train with Typhoon FGR4 equipped 3 (Fighter) Squadron.
Officer Commanding 3 (F) Squadron wing commander Chris Moon said: "First impressions of the Flanker are very positive. It is a superb aeroplane and it’s a privilege to operate our Typhoon alongside it.
"The RAF and IAF both pride ourselves on operating some of the leading-edge technical equipment in the world."
According to RAF, the exercise offers a rare opportunity for RAF pilots to test themselves against the fourth generation Russian-built fighter.
During the exercise, the C-130J Hercules aircraft will be performing joint parachute drops of RAF Regiment and IAF Garud troops.RAF and IAF C-17 crews are also training together.
The training also saw the fighters being refuelled in mid-air by tanker aircraft from their respective countries operating from RAF Brize Norton.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a multirole combat fighter aircraft jointly developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the IAF.
Based on the Su-30 fighter aircraft, Su-30MKI is equipped with thrust vectoring control and canards.
Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter designed for deployment during air operations, including air policing, peace support and high-intensity conflict missions.
Image: Royal Air Force Typhoons and Indian Air Force Flankers during Exercise Indradanush. Photo: © MOD Crown Copyright.
