Commander of US Pacific Air Forces flies in Indian Air Force Su-30MKI.

According to a tweet posted on April 12 by Neeraj Rajput, Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, flew on April 11 in the backseat of an Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jet from a base located at Kalaikunda. This unprecedented flight took place during an ongoing US-India joint exercise in India.

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US Pacific Air Force Commander, Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, flew in an Indian Air Force Su-30MKI from Kalaikunda air base during Indo-US joint exercise ‘Cope India’ (10-24th April) on Tuesday, April 11 (Picture source: Indian Air Force via Twitter account of Neeraj Rajput)

A US commander flying a Russian fighter jet was a sight to be seen. US Pacific Air Force Commander, Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, flew on April 11 in a Su-30MKI from Kalaikunda air base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Indo-US joint exercise ‘Cope India’ (10-24th April). "Gen Wilsbach flew in a ‘training mission’ during the Cope India exercise", said IAF Spokesperson, Wg Cdr Ashish Moghe, in an official statement.

Gen. Wilsbach is on an official visit to India and met IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane in Delhi before visiting Kalaikunda, EurAsian Times reports. Gen. Wilsbach shared details about the shooting down of the Chinese balloon by US fighter jets with IAF top brass. The Chinese ‘spying balloon was on a surveillance mission in the US, a claim denied by China.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has a total of 272 Su-30MKI aircraft in its fleet. It is a variant of the Su-30 aircraft family that was jointly developed by Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It has been in service with the IAF since 2002 and is considered to be one of the most advanced fighters in the IAF's inventory. It has a range of over 3,000 km. One of the key features of the Su-30MKI is its advanced avionics suite, which includes a sophisticated helmet-mounted display system that allows the pilot to aim weapons simply by looking at the target.