From 2 to 5 March, the Italian delegation, led by General B.A. Fantuzzi, Head of the Third Department of the SMA, paid a visit. The visit, which formed part of the 2009/2010 Bilateral Joint Forces Cooperation Plan, provided an opportunity to demonstrate support for an Air Force currently undertaking ambitious fleet modernisation programmes, to familiarise ourselves with the IAF’s facilities and operational and training capabilities, and to identify areas of potential interest towards which future cooperation activities might be directed. The first part of the visit was devoted to various meetings at headquarters level, which took place in a cordial atmosphere at IAF Headquarters. In particular, the Italian delegation had the opportunity to meet Air Vice Marshal Matheswaran, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (ACAS) for Operations, with whom they shared the experiences gained by the Italian Air Force in bringing the Eurofighter Typhoon into service, for which EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) responded to a ‘Request for Proposal’ for 126 aircraft. On that occasion, the Italian Air Force’s full willingness to engage in bilateral cooperation in this specific sector was emphasised, should the IAF opt for the European aircraft. It was precisely the status of the ongoing cooperation between the two Air Forces that characterised the meeting with the Head of Intelligence, Air Vice-Marshal Kalia (ACAS – INT). Finally, during the meeting with Air Vice-Marshal Rajguru (ACAS – Training) and his closest colleagues, the training and education processes adopted by the respective air forces were examined, with particular reference to flight training and the possibility of hosting foreign trainees at their respective schools. In the days that followed, as per the programme, General Fantuzzi and the entire Italian delegation had the opportunity to visit the Aircraft System Testing and Evaluation (ASTE) centre in Bangalore, where, amongst other things, two Eurofighter aircraft were present for ‘test trials’, the Bidar Flight School, which is also home to the national aerobatic team (Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team), and the Air Force Academy based in Hyderabad. The visit as a whole provided an opportunity to discuss potential areas of cooperation that could be included in forthcoming bilateral joint-forces cooperation plans, paving the way for collaboration in the fields of testing and air traffic control.
