With this India has become only the sixth air force in the world to have such a force multiplier.
Glimpses from the Indian Air Force participation in the multinational Red Flag 24 exercise at the US air force's Eielson base in Alaska.
The IAF contingent participated in the exercise from June 4 to 14.
India is now the only power in Asia after China to deploy such a capability.
The Indian contingent of 550 personnel is among the largest Indian deployments for an overseas military exercise.
The city is in garba and dandiya practice mode.
The biennial tri-services exercise, Bright-Star, is taking place at Cairo (West) Air Base and it is being participated by militaries of the US, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Qatar besides of the host country and India, officials said.
They share their excitement :)
The feat was achieved days after the Indian Air Force successfully did a dry run of mid-air refuelling using the Russian-built IL-78 MKI tanker.
The proposals will help in the modernisation of the armed forces.
The disengagement process between India and China in eastern Ladakh is in final stages and on the brink of completion, top officials of the country's defence establishment on Thursday told a parliamentary panel during a meeting, which sources said turned 'stormy' amid several questions asked by opposition members including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The US has deployed its naval carrier strike group, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, as well as a fleet of F-18 fighter jets and E-2C Hawkeye all-weather aircraft for the exercise, officials said. The Indian assets at the exercise included Jaguar and Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets, IL-78 air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft, Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft and warships Kochi and Teg. The Indian Navy has also deployed a fleet of P8I maritime surveillance aircraft and MiG 29K jets, apart from other platforms.
There has been a considerable drop in India's dependence on arms and equipment from Russia but the Indian military cannot operate effectively without Russian-supplied equipment and will continue to rely on its weapons systems in the near and middle terms, a Congressional Research Service report has said.
Trials in support of the Indian Air Force's procurement of six multi-role tanker transports for around $2 billion (around Rs 10,000 crore) involving Europe's EADS and Russia's Rosonboronexport have been completed recently and the rival commercial bids are expected to be opened early in the new year.
The move is seen as a gamechanger in guarding the strategically important Indian Ocean Region.
First Indian prisoner of war (POW) in the Kargil conflict, Kambampati Nachiketa, is all set to fly mid-air refuellers -- a small consolation for him after an injury caused by "physical hardships" during captivity kept him away from operating fighter aircraft.
HAL is also integrating the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile onto the Mark 1A. Each Tejas will carry two of these missiles.
Six Su-30MKIs and two Il-78 MKI mid-air refuelling aircraft will participate in the wargame.
While the IAF will field the Su-30s, the RAF will use its Tornado, Hawk and Typhoon combat jets, VC-10 tankers and AWACS in the exercise.
The Jaguars, taking part in exercise 'Cope Thunder 2004', will cross the Atlantic helped by mid-air refuelling by the IAF's just acquired IL-78 giant tankers.
Fighter jets and helicopters hit targets during day and night.
The IAF's mainstream fighter aircraft, the Sukhoi-30MKI and Jaguar, are set to square off with their American counterparts to execute some of the most realistic manoeuvres of its kind during Exercise Red Flag over Alaska starting April 28. Here's what you need to know.
The Indian Air Force's on Friday conducted day-night demonstration of its combat and fire power in Pokhran, which was witnessed by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Codenamed Red Flag Alaska 16-1, the exercises are being conducted in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, the largest instrumented air, ground and electronic combat training range in the world at more than 65,000 square miles.
The Air Chief Marshal, who is set to retire on December 31, also rued that the tender for the much needed "force multiplier" mid air refuellers had to be withdrawn. He said a fresh tender is in the offing and the procurement will be speeded up.
NSA Doval, defence top brass brief Union ministers on the deal to help them counter Opposition charges.
'If the other side knows you are coming, then you are the guy who is going to be dead.'
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