"Got to demonstrate our aerial prowess": Commanding Officer of IAF's MiG-29 squadron on Cairo exercise

'Exercise Bright Star' is a biennial multilateral tri-services exercise held at the Cairo (West) Air Base in Egypt.

Sharing his thoughts and experiences of the multilateral exercise, 28 Squadron Commanding Officer, Group Captain Parijat Jha said it was a wonderful opportunity for India to showcase its air power and strategic reach.

Group Captain Jha pilotted the MiG-29 fighter, which took part in the exercise.

He added that the Egyptians were thrilled to see the capabilties of the participating Indian contingent, adding it would be a gateway to more such opportunities to showcase the country's air power.

"Exercise Bright Star is a multi-lateral, multi-national exercise which was conducted in Egypt. They hosted almost 34 countries (during the exercise). Army, Navy and Air Force, all three services, were well represented in the exercise. The entire experience was brilliant. It was a wonderful opportunity, not only for me but for my boys and girls who took part in the exercise. We got to fight and get trained with almost nine countries, which participated in the Cairo exercise," the Group Captain told ANI after returning to base in Jalandhar, Punjab.

"I got to see not only our MiG-29s but also those of Egypt, the F-16s of USAF, the Mirage 2000s of French Air Force, the F-16s from Greece, A-10s from the US Air Force and finally, the F15s from Saudi Arabia," he added.

The Air Force officer said the experience of flying and training with the nine countries was "really awesome".

"This is a wonderful opportunity for India to showcase its abilities and strategic reach. Egypt is almost 4,300 kilometres away and we got airborne from here. We travelled a total of 6 hours, across the Arabian Sea and the deserts of Saudi Arabia, before touching down at the Cairo base. This exercise presented us with an ideal platfrom to demonstrate the global and strategic outreach of the Indian Air Force," he said.

The 28 Squadron Commanding Officer added, "We also got to demonstrate our aerial prowess and combat capabilities. The Egyptians were thrilled to see us and our fighters in action. They were amazed how we managed to shoot down so many aircraft during the training exercise. Other contingents said they would be happy to have more such opportunities to learn from us and get better."

He said he was proud to represent India and be given the opportunity to be part of such an exercise.

"I feel really really proud. It was a big opportunity for me and I felt really really proud to have represented India and the Indian Air Force," Group Captain Jha added.

This was the first time that IAF was participating in 'Exercise Bright Star', which also drew contingents from the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Qatar.

This multinational tri-services military exercise marked a major milestone this year as it saw the participation of 34 countries, making it the largest joint military exercise ever held in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The participating Indian Air Force contingent comprised 5 MiG-29, 2 IL-78s, two C-130s and 2 C-17 aircraft. Personnel from the IAF's Garud Special Forces, as well as those from the 28, 77, 78 and 81 Squadrons took part in the exercise.

The objective of the exercise was practice planning and execution of joint operations. Apart from bonding beyond borders, such interactions also provide a means to further strategic relations between participating nations. (ANI)