Exercise Cobra Warrior 2022 and HAL Tejas!
Exercise Cobra Warrior is an air exercise conducted by Royal Airforce. This time it is scheduled to be conducted 7th March to 25th March 2022. According to information available as of now 5 HAL Tejas Mk1 will take part in the exercise along with 4 other unspecified IAF support aircraft, which likely will be IL78MKI and C17s.
This will be the first time IAF Tejas will participate in an exercise with foreign Airforces. Tejas has been participating in internal exercises of IAF and in numerous Air Shows for past few years. Recently 3 HAL Tejas Mk1 flew non stop 3000+ km over seas to Changi Airbase in Singapore for the 2022 Singapore Airshow. This shows the confidence IAF now holds in the platform.
IAF fleet of 5 Tejas MK1 and 4 support aircraft will operate from RAF Washington. UK RAF will have its F35B and Eurofighter Typhoon during the exercise. USAF will have its F15E and F35A fighter jets. Saudia will have its Typhoons and Tornadoes.
Swedish Airforce with Gripen will also participate along with F16 fighters of Belgium in this multi national air exercise. Top Aces A4 fighter jets can also be a part.
This exercise will allow HAL Tejas to fly alongside F16, F15, F35, Typhoon, Tornadoes and Gripen fighter jets. Usually IAF sends it’s Su30MKI for foreign exercises due to its range. But the first Tejas deployment to such an exercise will set a lot of precedents.
Source: @scan_sky, Jaime Holden Keenan for the Tonka’s and PCB group.
