00:00Mr. Sir, 5th generation fighter aircraft has been participating in the first exercise.
00:05What is the experience of this?
00:11And the other thing is that it has been offered from the US,
00:16several times in different forums, F-35s, Su-57s.
00:33I think the first part of the question should be taken by that side, about operating with this aircraft.
00:40Second part I will take out.
00:42So, F-35 is a 5th generation aircraft.
00:46And in this aircraft, there are some capabilities that are not in the rest of the aircraft.
00:50So, when you operate with these aircraft, you learn new things.
00:55So, in this exercise, when we were operating with F-35, we got to learn new things.
01:01So, this was a major take-away with these aircraft.
01:06And the second portion, Chief will answer.
01:53What were the key challenges regarding this
01:58Tarang Shakti in data sharing and interoperating among advanced aircraft from the various
02:04nations such as the F-35, Rafale, Sukhoi-30 and how did the indigenous LCA teachers perform
02:17in this multilateral exercise and what strategic message was conveyed to the world regarding
02:24the Indo-Pacific region?
02:35So the exercise involved platforms which have got different type of data links and different
02:42secure communications.
02:43So therefore what I had covered earlier we had resorted to common planning processes wherein
02:48we were sat together and we tried to mitigate how can we share data between two different
02:55types, three different types of aircraft who are flying for similar mission and trying
03:00to achieve the same objectives.
03:02So apart from interoperability and the avenues which were explored for interoperability, these
03:09techniques to mitigate the challenges which are born because of different data links and
03:15because of different type of secure communications were identified during the exercise for all
03:20the participants and it gave all the participants a good lesson in how to bring such platforms
03:25together when we were trying to fly in a multilateral environment.
03:31As far as question about Tejas is concerned, of course Tejas has been a part of most of the exercises
03:38now wherever possible.
03:40At least in India it takes part in all exercises and when it comes to exercising abroad we give
03:45rotation to various squadrons.
03:48Even just before this exercise we had the exercise of Veer Garjian with bilateral with the Japanese
03:56team and the Japanese chief was here and we flew him in a Tejas trainer and he was all praise.
04:02I think it has come out in the media.
04:04So that aircraft is a very potent aircraft when it comes to its own size and role.
04:10Every aircraft is meant for a certain role and for a given role that aircraft will do good.
04:16It's a very, it's a, as far as normal flying and normal operations are concerned, it's a beautiful machine.
04:23And as far as Indo-Pacific is concerned, our exercise was not meant to be, you know, projecting anything in
04:30any region
04:31or something like that.
04:32We have no message for Indo-Pacific, but if there are some more people who are a part of Indo
04:38-Pacific,
04:38if they want to say something, we have the PACAF force commander here, maybe you can say something.
04:44All I would add is, you know, it goes back to the just building partnerships, building teamwork.
04:52Our air forces are all different.
04:54We have different capabilities.
04:55We fly different airplanes.
04:57We operate a little bit differently.
04:58But rather than focusing on the differences, we, exercises like this bring us together where
05:04we can find common ground and as eloquently put, you know, command and control, our ability
05:09to communicate with each other is truly key.
05:13And these events allow us to find ways to make that more effective and more efficient.
05:19And it's a, this is a framework.
05:21It is a baseline.
05:22We don't know what the security situation holds or what the future holds.
05:26We may, some of us may be called to do humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, or there may be
05:31other challenges that we face.
05:33But when we come together, we don't do it cold.
05:37We do it on a foundation of teamwork that is established at Tarang Shakti or Pitch Black or Red Flag
05:47Alaska or the myriad of other exercises that take place throughout the Indo-Pacific region where we can come together
05:54as airmen, learn from each other, and build that foundation of cooperation that will allow us to succeed no matter
06:01what is in front of us.
06:03Perhaps you want to add something to that?
06:05Yeah.
06:06Thanks.
06:06I will.
06:08So, General Schneider just mentioned Tarang Shakti, Pitch Black, Red Flag.
06:14So, there's a continuum around the Indo-Pacific with all the friends and partners in the way we come together
06:21and train.
06:22I think the biggest lesson to take away is the fact that all of the nations and all of the
06:26air forces represented here invest in their people.
06:31So, that we generate and deliver air power from the ground operations to the air operations with a great degree
06:38of professionalism and expertise.
06:41And so, whatever version of English or Australian you're speaking, we can communicate well and we're communicating off a basis
06:49of professional expertise.
06:50I think that's the biggest lesson.
06:54Sir, I want to ask that how much interested were you along with the other partners to know about the
07:00operational lessons of Operation Sindhu and also India's use of indigenous platforms?
07:06A lot of focus is there on making India now.
07:09India is relying more on its own platforms.
07:12So, how much interest was shown by the partners, not only about the scale of India but the indigenous platforms
07:19and weapon systems?
07:21Thank you for the question.
07:23And when I was here in April, I spent a week hosted by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and the
07:30other leaders in the Indian Air Force.
07:31And we did talk about Operation Sindhu and I think for all of us, you know, we learn from each
07:38other, whether it's, you know, a unilateral operation,
07:42whether it's multilateral operations, that we continue to evolve and adapt for the security situation that is evolving and adapting
07:50in front of us.
07:50So, you know, not going into specifics on any of the operations, but it is of high interest that we
07:58continue to learn from each other
08:01and take advantages of exercises like this where we can bring subject matters experts in to explain and then find
08:08those things that will help us continue to grow so that we can, again, stay ahead of the challenges we
08:14face. Thank you.
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