A five-day joint exercise between Indian Air Force and Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) commenced at the IAF base in Jamnagar. This is the fourth bilateral air exercise between the two countries that has been named as “Ex Eastern Bridge IV.”
About Exercise Eastern Bridge IV:
- A contingent of RAFO arrived in Jamnagar on January 14 for the exercise which started on January 16.
- The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Commander of Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) Air Vice Marshal Matar Ali Matar Al-Qbaidani reviewed the progress of the fourth joint Air Exercise.
- During the review, the Chief of the Air Staff and Commander of Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) interacted with the participating crew and held bilateral discussions.
- The RAFO participated with five F-16 Block 50 Air Defence Fighters belonging to No. 18 Squadron based at Thumrait.
- IAF participated in the exercise with Su-30 MKI Air Dominance Fighters, MiG-29 Air Superiority Fighters, Jaguar Maritime Strike aircraft and MiG-27 aircraft.
- This is the first time that RAFO F-16s are participating in an air exercise outside the Gulf Countries.
- In this edition of the exercise, IAF and RAFO participated in joint air defence and offensive counter air missions for which the difficulty levels will be increased gradually to large force engagements.
This joint exercise will help consolidate the military ties between India and Oman and provide exposure to the participants.
