The Asianist

The Times of India reports:

The United States is deploying its F-16 fighter jets for large scale air exercises with India to be held at the Kalaikunda Air Base outside Kolkata in November this year.

Twelve F-16 CJs and an E-3 AWACS from the Misawa and Kadena Air Base on Okinawa in Japan will be flying down for the ten-day Cope India exercises starting November 7, according to defence sources.

It is the first time the US is deploying F-16 fighter jets for exercises in India. Washington held back its F-16s and sent six F-15 Eagles from the Elmendorf Air Base in Alaska during the last exercises in Gwalior in February 2004, partly due to concerns over reactions from Pakistan, whose air force inventory centers around the F-16s.

If so, what's changed this year?

But in a surprising twist, the US F-15s suffered reverses at the hands of the IAF is a friendly shooting match, leading to a serious appraisal in the US about where its air force stands in relation to the rest of the world.

This time the US wants to get it right. Besides, both sides appear to have decided that Pakistan is relatively marginal to their military relationship, which is pegged to broader and deeper concerns.

Well, not quite. Yes, the USAF F-15's were defeated by the Indian Air Force last time -- but only under extremely restrictive rules (no radar, no AWACS, limited altitude band and etc.) that prevented the F-15's from taking advantage of their strengths (the F-15 isn't exactly an agile dogfighter).

Still, it was a mild shock of sorts even with a "garden-variety" USAF pilots going against the best-of-the-best Indian pilots. I suspect the USAF is back with vengeance and will crush the Indian Air Force. Stay tuned.