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Indian Air Force personnel discuss the USAF Global Positioning System with a USAF member.
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Some confusion occurred during the first drop of paratroopers, partly because the two nations employ different procedures, including a different number of jumpmasters. The confusion was quickly resolved and subsequent drops ran like clockwork, said U.S. Air National Guardsman SSgt. Kimo McKee. “The Indian paratroopers understood where we [the loadmasters] needed to be,” he said. “And by the time we did our second run to drop another 60 paratroopers, the jumps were a lot smoother and quicker.
In the end, pilots and crews from both nations agreed that there were more similarities to how each service does business than differences.
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“Many of the procedures were similar,” said IAF Flying Officer (equivalent to a U.S. lieutenant) Saurav Dattagupta, an observer on one cargo-drop mission. However, “the C-130 is more maneuverable than the An-32.”
“Our forces share a broad scope of airlift abilities,” said Agra Air Station’s Chief Operations Officer Group Capt. G. P. Singh. “It’s my hope that airmen from each country gain a greater appreciation of procedures and techniques from COPE INDIA.”
USAF Sr. Amn. Vincent Garcia had a chance to make friends with his counterparts. “There are a lot of similarities between our services,” he said. “[The Indian airmen] have specialty mechanics [electricians, engine troops] and additional duties just like we do. We discussed airframes of the C-130 and the An-32 and discovered different abilities of each.”
“It’s been a great experience for all of us,” said USAF Maj. Jim Yuki. “To have the chance to be here in India to train with the Indian Air Force and to experience some of the culture of this country is amazing.”
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| Residents of Mother Teresa’s Home for Sick and Dying Destitutes wait to greet USAF personnel. |
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| Orphan toddlers at Mother Teresa’s Home for Sick and Dying Destitutes look out of their cribs, as USAF personnel arrive with donated clothes, shoes and food for the home. |
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Through COPE INDIA 2002 – the cornerstone of U.S.-India security efforts – the USAF hopes to continue the momentum it has built up over the past year and lay the groundwork for a long-term beneficial relationship with the goal of enhancing regional stability.
Noting the success of defense cooperation between India and the U.S., Ambassador Blackwill said, “I am relentlessly optimistic in my assessment of the future of U.S.-India strategic collaboration.” |
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