Indian Ambassador, IAF Observer and Commander RAFO visit IAF contingent at Oman

Ambassador of India at Oman, Mr. Anil Wadhwa and senior Indian Air Force (IAF) Observer, Air Vice Marshal Ramesh Rai, visited the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Thumrait airbase in Oman, on Tuesday. Earlier, Commander RAFO, Air Vice Marshal Yahya bin Rasheed Al-Juma, visited and interacted with the IAF team here at Oman.

The high-profile visits reinforce the commitment by both countries towards fostering defence cooperation and coincide with the ongoing joint air exercise ‘Eastern Bridge’, between the two air forces at Oman from Oct 22-29.

On the penultimate day, Exercise Eastern Bridge peaked with IAF and RAFO Jaguars mounting several low-level, two and four-aircraft strike missions, culminating with pounding of the nearby ‘Aqzail’ air-to-ground range with accurate intensity of practice bombs. The marksmanship is brilliant with pilots on both sides scoring near-hundred percent direct hits on multiple targets in every mission.

With F-16s having joined-up for integrated missions, both in offensive and defensive roles, missions in Exercise Eastern Bridge are at par with any of the complex scenarios that air forces world over simulate.

Ex- Eastern Bridge - between IAF and RAFO is the first air exercise between the two air forces. But Indo-Omani affiliations that began essentially with trade historically through the sea route, also have a military backdrop.

Till India became independent, military and economic support to the Sultanate of Oman was provided by the British from India. Oman’s complete requirement of arms and ammunition as well as all military necessities were supplied from Indian ordinance factories, free of cost.

Indo-Omani military relations were again revived when a protocol agreement was signed in 1972, leading to a three-year deputation of Indian Navy personnel to man Oman’s Navy in Apr 1973.

The office of the Indian Defence Advisor in Muscat began functioning in 1989. The last decade has seen an increase of military relations between India and Oman, to the extent that Oman positioned their own Defence Attaché at New Delhi in Sep 2002.

IAF-RAFO defence cooperation was initiated in 2006 and has increased substantially in the current year. With Oman being a priority-one country on the IAF priority list for defence cooperation; in the West Asian region, air staff level talks are presently ongoing only with RAFO and Israel.

Presently a two-tier arrangement for defence cooperation – joint military cooperation committee (JMCC) and air force-to-air force staff talks (AFST) exists with Oman. Three rounds of JMCC and AFST have so far been undertaken between India and Oman.

****** TKS/-
(Release ID :53650)