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The sixth edition of an annual Indian-US Air Force exercise kicked off in Agra on Monday with India seeking better exposure for its commando while US is aiming for gaining more transport aircraft contracts.
"The IAF (Indian Air Force) Garuds will train along with the US Air Force Special Operations force to validate concepts and interoprtablity for executing special operations in a simulated hostile environment," said Air Commodore Shouvik Roy, who is in overall charge of the Cope India exercise that concludes Oct 24.
"The Garuds would be exposed to new fields such as para-rescue and combat search and rescue operations. This would help the Garuds to shape their future operational philosophy and training format and upgrade their equipment profile," he added.
The Guards came into existence in 2004 for securing IAF assets including aircraft, airfields and other infrastructure across India. The Guards are based on Delhi-outskirts.
A senior IAF officer said it would be keenly studying how the US Special Operations force reacts and performs in different situations.
"Our special force is very new. We would be exhibiting our skills and then would take suggestions for improvements. This is the first time such a large number of our men would be exposed to a superior force," the officer told.
The exercise will ensure that both sides work towards boosting their knowledge.
