The US B-1B supersonic heavy bombers made their debut appearance at Exercise Cope India 2023, a joint drill held by the US and Indian forces near the Indo-China border. The bomber, also known as Rockwell B1 Lancer ‘Bone,’ took part in the exercise alongside other fighter aircraft.
The Indian Air Force shared images of the bomber on its official Twitter account. The planes were seen parked in Bangalore and joined the air combat phase of the exercise, which took place from April 13 to 24 at India’s Kalaikunda Air Force Station. This was the first time the Rockwell bombers participated in an exercise in India, especially in the vicinity of the Chinese border.
Chinese observers viewed the participation of the B-1B bombers as Washington’s effort to push India to take a more aggressive stance towards China. Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, believes that the US aimed to highlight its growing partnership with India and to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the strategic arena.
The US military shared information with Indian forces about Chinese military activities during the deadly border conflicts at Ladakh in 2020, according to a memoir by former US defence chief Mark Esper. The US also provided cold-weather gear to Indian troops during the stand-off.
Exercise Cope India 2023 is a bilateral exercise between the Indian Air Force and the United States Air Force that started on April 10. The drills aim to strengthen mutual understanding between the two Air Forces and share their best strategies.
The Ministry of Defense stated that Japan has joined the exercise as an observer member. During the first phase of the exercise, both sides fielded the C-130J and C-17 aircraft, with the USAF operating an MC-130J. The next phase of the exercise began on April 13 and saw the participation of B-1B bombers and F-15 fighter aircraft of the USAF.
On the side of IAF, Su-30 MKI, Rafale, Tejas and Jaguar aircraft participated in the exercise, which was supported by air refuellers and an Airborne Warning and Control System of the IAF. The exercise concluded on April 24.
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