Indra Dhanush Jul 07

Exercise Indra Dhanush

Between July 3rd and July 12th the Indian Air Force were present at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire for excercise Indra Dhanush 07. Undoubtedly the highlight of the year, not only for the UK enthusiast but also for the many who ventured to our shores from mainland Europe to see their first ever Indian Air Force aircraft.

The first aircraft arrived on Wednesday 27th June in the form of Ilyushin IL-76MD K2878/G which brought in the first load of equipment. This was then followed by the main contingent the next day after having stopped overnight at Tanagra Air Base in Greece. The deployment comprised a further IL-76MD (K2663), two Ilyushin IL-78MKI tankers (RK-3451 and RK-3452) plus the fighter element from 30 Sqn (Charging Rhino's) based at Pune, who brought six Sukhoi SU-30MKI's in the form of SB 041, SB 042, SB 043, SB 044, SB103 and SB107.

The first IL-76 to arrive departed on Friday 29th June to India, followed by the other IL-76 and one of the IL-78's (RK-3451) on Saturday 30th. This left the six SU-30's and IL-78 RK-3452 to participate in the excerise. Familiarisation flights were conducted the following Monday and the exercise commenced on Tuesday 3rd July as planned. Unfortunately the first week was plagued with the unseasonal weather experienced for that time of year with continuous heavy showers most days.

44 Squadron IL-76MD K2663 taxies out for departure on 30-6-07

44 Squadron is based at Sonegaon and was formed on 6th April 1961 as an Antonov An-12 unit. The Ilyushin IL-76 is the Indian Air Forces strategic heavy lift transport and is known as the Gajraj (King Elephant), entering service in 1985. It has a payload capacity in excess of 40,000kgs and a range of 5000kms, enabling it to carry 225 paratroopers.

Followed about twenty minutes later by RK-3451, an Ilyushin IL-78MKI from 78 Squadron

RK-3451 departs back to it's home base at Agra via another stop at Tanagra in Greece.

The Ilyushin IL-78MKI is a tanker derivative of the IL-76MD transport and entered Indian Air Force service in March 2003. 78 Squadron is based at Agra Air Force Station as part of Central Air Command. The aicraft utilise three UPAZ-1 refuelling pods, one under each wing and one on the left rear fuselage below the vertical fin. It is capable of carrying 36 tonnes of fuel

over a range of 3000km. Unlike other Il-78's operated the Indian machines use a mix of Indian, French and Israeli avionics so as to provide a unique, modern and 'Westernised' operating system which includes IFF, TCAS, GPS, ILS and TACAN.

30 Squadron 'Charging Rhinos'

The 'Charging Rhinos' of 30 Squadron fly the impressive Sukhoi SU-30MKI 'Flanker'. This twin-seat multi-role aircraft features an all-weather, digital multi-mode, dual frequency radar with a search range of 350km and a 200km tracking range. It can track up to 20 targets simultaneously utilising a helmet mounted sight system. The aircraft has a built in 30mm single barrel cannon and can carry a variety of external stores on it's twelve hard points. As with the IL-78MKI's the Indian Flankers also use a mix of Israeli, French and Indian avionics. The SU-30MKI is powered by two Lyulka AL-31FP turbofans with thrust vectoring, which each provide 29,400lbs of thrust. The SU-30 is a huge fighter by any standard with a length of 72 feet and a 48 foot wingspan. With a maximum speed of Mach 2.35 and a 20,000 metre ceiling it rates as one of the most capable fighter aircraft available today. The IAF have 140 Flankers on order, with possibly further orders to follow.