SOURCE : AFI
Four Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jets have touched down at Andravida Air Base in Greece, marking a significant moment for international military cooperation. Stationed with the 117th Fighter Wing, these jets are gearing up for NATO’s prestigious Ramstein Flag exercise – the first time it will be held outside of Germany.
Since their arrival last Thursday, the Indian Rafales haven’t wasted any time. On Saturday, they conducted their inaugural joint training session alongside Greek Rafales and Mirage 2000-5s from the 114th Fighter Wing’s 335th and 336th Squadrons. Exclusive photos captured by Stamatis Pitta for Enikos offer a glimpse of three of the Indian jets participating in these joint maneuvers.
The week-long training program has already seen reconnaissance flights completed. The intensity is set to ramp up further from Monday onwards, with Greek and Indian fighter jets engaging in progressively demanding scenarios across different terrains of the Greek Flight Information Region. The exercise will culminate in daring passages through the Vouraikos Gorge.
This Indian deployment stems from their participation in the recent “RED FLAG 24” exercise in the United States. Following the initiative of Lieutenant General Demosthenes Grigoriadis, Chief of the Hellenic Air Force, who maintains open communication with his Indian counterpart, it was decided to leverage the strategic relationship between the two nations by facilitating the Indian jets’ stopover in Greece. This joint training exercise signifies a major step forward in India-Greece defense cooperation and serves as a testament to the evolving strategic partnership between the two countries.