bobdina
10-19-2009, 03:12 PM
Indian, U.S. Troops Meet for Air, Land Exercises
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 19 Oct 2009 14:41
NEW DELHI - Air and land forces from the United States and India are exchanging expertise in two ongoing military exercises held in India this month.
During Cope India-09, being held Oct. 19-23 at the Indian Air Force's Agra airfield near here, participating Indian and U.S. troops will exchange airlift, air-land and airdrop delivery techniques and participate in aero-medical and disaster management exercises.
"The United States is ready to support India in its drive to modernize its armed forces," Timothy Roemer, U.S. ambassador to India, said in a speech Oct. 19 inaugurating the exercise.
The U.S. team of 150 airmen has fielded three C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, one C-17 Globemaster III and one C-130J. The Indian Air Force contingent includes one Il-76 and four An-32 transport aircraft, two Mi-17s and one Chetak Alouette helicopter.
The two countries also are in the midst of the large Yudh-Abhyas land-based exercise, which will see the largest deployment of the U.S. Army's Stryker armored vehicles outside Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States has brought around 17 Stryker vehicles and about 500 soldiers to the Babina artillery command base in southern India in the Oct. 12-29 exercise.
The exercise, which includes live firing by heavy combat vehicles, will be the first time that mechanized units of the Indian Army - based on Russian-made T-72 and T-90 tanks and BMP-II armored carriers, and 155mm artillery guns - will share expertise with any foreign army.
"The aim of this exercise to conduct a joint Indo-U.S. training exercise under the framework of an agreed joint training program for sharing useful experience in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian and disaster-relief situations," the Indian Defence Ministry said in an Oct. 12 statement. "The scope of the exercise is to conduct Indo-U.S. joint training exercise ... in a semi-urban scenario."
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4331254&c=ASI&s=AIR
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 19 Oct 2009 14:41
NEW DELHI - Air and land forces from the United States and India are exchanging expertise in two ongoing military exercises held in India this month.
During Cope India-09, being held Oct. 19-23 at the Indian Air Force's Agra airfield near here, participating Indian and U.S. troops will exchange airlift, air-land and airdrop delivery techniques and participate in aero-medical and disaster management exercises.
"The United States is ready to support India in its drive to modernize its armed forces," Timothy Roemer, U.S. ambassador to India, said in a speech Oct. 19 inaugurating the exercise.
The U.S. team of 150 airmen has fielded three C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, one C-17 Globemaster III and one C-130J. The Indian Air Force contingent includes one Il-76 and four An-32 transport aircraft, two Mi-17s and one Chetak Alouette helicopter.
The two countries also are in the midst of the large Yudh-Abhyas land-based exercise, which will see the largest deployment of the U.S. Army's Stryker armored vehicles outside Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States has brought around 17 Stryker vehicles and about 500 soldiers to the Babina artillery command base in southern India in the Oct. 12-29 exercise.
The exercise, which includes live firing by heavy combat vehicles, will be the first time that mechanized units of the Indian Army - based on Russian-made T-72 and T-90 tanks and BMP-II armored carriers, and 155mm artillery guns - will share expertise with any foreign army.
"The aim of this exercise to conduct a joint Indo-U.S. training exercise under the framework of an agreed joint training program for sharing useful experience in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian and disaster-relief situations," the Indian Defence Ministry said in an Oct. 12 statement. "The scope of the exercise is to conduct Indo-U.S. joint training exercise ... in a semi-urban scenario."
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4331254&c=ASI&s=AIR