The Indian Air Force has claimed to have beaten its RAF colleagues in a training exercise in Lincolnshire culminating in a dogfight.
India claimed that its Russian-designed Su-30MKI Flanker fighters humiliated the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoons during the two-week exercise at RAF Coningsby. But the British dispute the claim.
An RAF source told the Times that Group Captain Ashu Srivastav's claim was comical and aimed to please a domestic audience.
The source said: "The headlines of the Indian Press bear no relation to the results of the tactical scenarios completed on the exercise in any shape or form.
It has been reported that the Indian jets defeated the RAF planes in one-on-one combat during Operation Indradhanush and also when two British jets went up against a single Indian plane.
The RAF said: "RAF pilots and the Typhoon performed well throughout the exercise with and against the Indian Air Force.
"Both forces learnt a great deal from the exercise and the RAF look forward to the next opportunity to train alongside the IAF."
Tony Osborne, the London bureau chief of Aviation Week, told the Times: "These cricket-style scores claimed by the IAF look impressive but should be treated with caution and certainly not as a realistic gauge of combat capability.
11/08/15 PWhitelam_LE/Linconshire Echo
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India claimed that its Russian-designed Su-30MKI Flanker fighters humiliated the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoons during the two-week exercise at RAF Coningsby. But the British dispute the claim.
An RAF source told the Times that Group Captain Ashu Srivastav's claim was comical and aimed to please a domestic audience.
The source said: "The headlines of the Indian Press bear no relation to the results of the tactical scenarios completed on the exercise in any shape or form.
It has been reported that the Indian jets defeated the RAF planes in one-on-one combat during Operation Indradhanush and also when two British jets went up against a single Indian plane.
The RAF said: "RAF pilots and the Typhoon performed well throughout the exercise with and against the Indian Air Force.
"Both forces learnt a great deal from the exercise and the RAF look forward to the next opportunity to train alongside the IAF."
Tony Osborne, the London bureau chief of Aviation Week, told the Times: "These cricket-style scores claimed by the IAF look impressive but should be treated with caution and certainly not as a realistic gauge of combat capability.
11/08/15 PWhitelam_LE/Linconshire Echo
