Amid growing bonhomie between India and the US, 12 IAF aircraft, including the Russian origin Su30 MKI, will fly to Alaska in April to take part in the prestigious ‘Red Flag’ air exercise that will see them in action alongside NATO forces during war games.
The aircraft four each of Sukhoi and deep penetration Jaguars, two C17 transport plans and two mid air refuellers IL 78 will travel through Bahrain, Egypt, France, Portugal and Canada before finally reaching Alaska.
The air exercise, from April 28-May 13, is seen as a complex and advanced network centric operation — the toughest test for flying machines and men.
“The personnel have now assembled at the Jamnagar air base where they will undergo some training schedule. Advanced party will leave shortly and the rest would join them later in the US,” an IAF official said.
This is the second time that India is participating in such an exercise after 2008.
Due to high costs, the IAF had decided to take part in the exercise once every five years. It was scheduled to take part in the 2013 edition but the exercise was cancelled by the US following budget cuts.
According to an estimate, it will cost India over Rs 100 crore. It will also see over 150 IAF personnel in action.
“Crawl, walk and run” is the term used for the format of deployment for systematically increasing pace and scope of the exercise and combat maneuvers during ‘Red Flag’.
The Red Flag would be the most complex aerial war game involving forces from India and US that will also see Aerial Early Warning aircraft from NATO forces in action.
Once again, India has refrained from taking its Aerial early warning aircraft for the overseas exercise.




Source:- IBNLive
The post 4 Su-30 MKI’s, 4 deep strike Jaguars, 2 C-17s and IL-78 head to Alaska :: Pak-China out appeared first on Defence Update.


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The Pakistani military continues to claim fantastic success in Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the offensive in the tribal agency of North Waziristan which began in June 2014. Based on the reporting from Pakistan, it seems the military is eager to declare victory and put an end to Zarb-e-Azb, even though the jihadists networks based there have not been dismantled.
Pakistan’s Army claimed an unlikely kill ratio of 32 to 1 in its “last phase” in the Shawal area of the tribal agency. From Xinhua:

“During last phase of operation in Shawal, 252 terrorists have been killed reportedly 160 were severely injured. In the last two months, valiantly fighting in Shawal, eight soldiers of Pakistan Army embraced Shahadat (martyrdom) while 39 injured,” the army spokesman said.

Additionally, the military said it captured Ahmad Mehsud, who was described as “an important commander of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan,” or the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani officials previously claimed Mehsud was based in Afghanistan, but he was captured in the Ramzak area of North Waziristan.
The Pakistani military has claimed that Zarb-e-Azb has targeted all jihadist groups in North Waziristan, including the Haqqani Network and the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group, two powerful Taliban factions that are independent of the TTP. But as the The Long War Journal has reported multiple times, that claim is fiction. The Pakistani military has blatantly ignored the Haqqanis and Bahadar’s group (the so-called “good Taliban” because they don’t overtly challenge the Pakistani state), and only targeted the “bad Taliban” such as the TTP, the defunct Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and al Qaeda.
The so-called “good Taliban” are the life blood to the “bad Taliban.” They provide shelter, safe haven, logistics, manpower, finances, and other key enablers that allow the networks to survive a military offensive. Groups like the TTP melt away while a rearguard harasses Pakistani forces, and establish or reinforce operations in other areas of Pakistan.
The Pakistani military and intelligence service’s myopic view that groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Haqqani Network serve its domestic and foreign policy agenda is short sighted to say the least. Pakistan’s refusal to deal with the entire continuum of the jihadist threat – both the “good” and “bad” Taliban – ensures that Pakistan and neighboring countries will continue to suffer devastating terrorist attacks.

Pakistan once again looks into the Russian military hardware to expand it’s military’s fighting power. A Pakistani diplomat confirmed the Mi 28 NE interest to the Janes. Pakistan already operating wide range of attack helicopters, again looks for another Russian attack helo. As Russia express defense cooperation with Pakistan on two grounds, Air defense and counter terrorism.
Pakistan increasingly looking to expand the relationship with Russia, by buying modern attack helicopters and other military hardware’s. Earlier Russia and Pakistan concluded a deal to buy four new Mi 35 attack helicopters, where the deliveries soon to takes place.
The Mi 28 is modern dedicated attack helicopter, even can withstand from large caliber bullets like 23mm and 30 mm. The Mi 28 NE has dual control. The helicopter can be controlled by either the pilot or the weapon officer. one of the known unique features in the Night hunter series, which was recently entered into serial production.
The Mi 28 comes with mutli purpose 30mm machine gun for dedicated ground attack. along with rockets and anti tank missiles for close air support missions to the ground troops. the advanced sensor suits easily filters the threat and engage it with high precision, where Russia showcased such capability in Syrian theater by attacking Syrian rebel targets.
Modern self protection suits and hardened armored structure can protect Mi 28 from advanced AAA systems and MANPAD’s. along with a 360 degree situational awareness system. Pakistan will get the modern Mi 28 NE the same which will be ordered for the Russian forces who currently in serial production.
Heavy weapons fitted in the Mi 28 can makes the helicopter best for convoy protection and escort missions. the Mi 28 can provide close escort for more than two hundred kilometers. which is very low combat radius compared to it’s competitor AH 64 E. which was chosen by the Indian air force over the Mi 28.
However the Mi 28 can carry more payloads than the Apache, Mi 28 can carry 16 anti tank missiles along with 40 rockets in two pods. while the Apache can carry eight anti armour high performance Hell fire missiles along with thirty six 70 mm rockets. In performance wise the Apache leads in all missions.
The gun fitted in both helicopter has 30mm caliber comes with more than 1000 rounds. The gun in the Apache can be controlled by the Pilots eye vision. while the same not available in the Mi 28.
The Americans never give the Apache’s to the Pakistan who has long range and high performance compared to all other attack helicopter. Apache is the only attack helicopter whose combat radius is more than 400 kilometers, while other helicopters like AH 1 Z viper and Mi 28 has a combat radius of 200 km and 180 km respectively.

In earlier the Russians first offered the Mi 28 NE to the Pakistani’s, however later it was withdrawn after heavy pressure from the Indian government. However nowadays the growing deeper relationship with Russia, even Pakistan gets handful numbers of Su 35 S from Russia.

Pakistan on Friday protested to India after arresting a man suspected of being an Indian spy, sparking a new diplomatic tiff between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The man was arrested during a raid in the southwestern province of Balochistan, Pakistani media reports said quoting local security officials, calling him an agent with India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency.
A Pakistani foreign ministry statement described the incident as the “illegal entry into Pakistan by a RAW officer and his involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi”.
It said the Indian High Commissioner had been summoned by the Foreign Secretary so he could convey his “protest and deep concern”.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province, has been battling a years-long separatist insurgency that the army has repeatedly claimed is “terrorism” promoted by states hostile to Pakistan such as India.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the arrest showed that a “foreign hand” was behind unrest in the province.
He said a detailed investigation was under way and the government would also seek help from Iran, which borders Balochistan.
Karachi, a city of 20 million and Pakistan’s economic hub, is also frequently hit by religious, political and ethnic violence.

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