Spanish Eurofighters face Russian-origin Su-30s fighters on their first visit to India

The Pacific Skies 24 world tour is now reaching its final stretch, this time with an unprecedented deployment for Spanish military aviation.

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After flying over Canada, Alaska, Australia and Malaysia, Pacific Skies 24 aircraft have arrived in India. This deployment is made up of fighter and transport aircraft from the air forces of Germany, Spain and France, as well as a tanker aircraft from the Netherlands. A deployment that demonstrates the expeditionary capacity of these air forces at a huge distance from their bases.

This Tuesday, August 6, the Tarang Shakti 24 exercise began in India. It is inspired by the Red Flag exercises organized by the United States and is the largest maneuvers organized annually by the Indian Air Force. In addition to the host country, this year the participation of the air forces of Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the United States, France, Greece, the United Kingdom and Singapore is planned, in addition to another 18 countries that will participate as observers.

Tarang Shakti 24 includes different types of training missions, including close air combat, attacking surface targets and air control. Above we see an Indian Su-30 accompanied by two Eurofighters (one Spanish on the left and one German on the right) and a French Rafale closing the formation.

New for many Allied airmen is the prospect of facing Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighters operated by the Indian Air Force. The Spanish Air Force said today: "In addition to the usual missions our pilots are accustomed to, Spanish Eurofighters are facing, among others, Indian Sukhoi Su-30s. All in one-on-one and one-on-two combat."

The Sukhoi Su-30 made its maiden flight in 1989. The Indian Air Force operates 240 Su-30MKIs, a version of this fighter built jointly by Russia and India and equipped with two Lyulka AL-31FP turbofan engines with vectored thrust, which give this aircraft excellent maneuverability. They will be a tough nut to crack for the Spanish Eurofighters.

In addition to the Su-30, the Indian Air Force has other modern fighter aircraft, such as the French-made Dassault Rafale and the Indian HAL Tejas (above), and some older models, such as the MiG-29UPG and Dassault Mirage 2000H, as well as the now obsolete Sepecat Jaguar and MiG-21.

Another image of the diamond-shaped formation of the four fighters we saw above. What is striking about the Su-30 is its sheer size: it measures 21.9 metres in length, which is very unusual for a fighter.

A member of the Spanish ground crew next to an Spanish Air Force Eurofighter.

The drifts of several fighter aircraft in India. From left to right, an Indian Tejas, a Spanish Eurofighter, a French Rafale, three German Eurofighters and another Spanish Eurofighter.

A Spanish Eurofighter in India. Next to the air intake we see a member of the Spanish ground crew. On the right we see three members of the Indian Air Force, and on the left two members of the German Luftwaffe.

A British Eurofighter passing two Spanish Eurofighters in India.

A Spanish Eurofighter (left) flying alongside a French Rafale, a German Eurofighter and an Indian HAL Tejas.

Ground crew standing next to a Spanish Eurofighter in India. An IRIS-T air-to-air missile can be seen on the wing of the aircraft.

A Spanish pilot next to the cockpit of his Eurofighter.

Finally, two Spanish pilots doing pre-flight inspections on their Eurofighters in India.

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Photos: Ejército del Aire / Indian Air Force / Luftwaffe / Armée de l'Air.