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| Afghanistan-Pak-India |
| Singapore to hire air base in India |
| 2005-11-19 |
| Looks like the IAF have gotten an F-16 aggressor squadron to tarin against Kalaikunda, November 17 Singapore is hiring the facilities of the vast Air Force station here to train its air force. This is for the first that a foreign country would be utilising Indian facilities to conduct their own training programmes and also pay for the same. âSingapore is sending eight F-16 aircraft in January for carrying out their training here,â Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Air Marshal F.M. Major told The Tribune here today. âThey will stay here for about two weeks and carry out training exercises,â he added. This would be the second time in three months that Kalaikunda, which was built during the World War II, would be hosting F-16s on its tarmac. This month, US Air Force F-16s are operating from this base during Cope India 05, a joint Indo-US air exercise. Besides the Singapore Air Force following its own independent training agenda, joint exercises with the IAF are also scheduled. Singapore is a small country and hence has severe restrictions to carry out aerial maneuvers and firing air to air and air to ground weapons. It is in this context that it has approached the Indian Government. The IAF air to ground range at Dega near Kalaikunda as well as the air to air range at Chandipur-on-Sea would be utilised for training purposes. Singapore would pay the Indian Government for the use of airspace as well as facilities at the air base, including landing and parking charges. Besides rent for other infrastructural facilities, the country will also pay for fuel, lubricants and food etc. Officers said the activities of the Singapore Air Force was not likely to affect the IAF own training schedule here. |
| Posted by:john |
| #1 Is there nothing that India can't outsource? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-19 23:56 |