Cope India 2006, the major exercise being staged in India by USAF and the Indian Air Force, is getting interesting. For the first time, USAF fighter pilots have gone up against India’s newest and most advanced aircraft—the Russia-designed Su-30 MKI. The MKI has thrust-vectoring capability, making it highly maneuverable. The air-to-air encounter unfolded on Nov. 9, said USAF. It pitted two F-16s against the Indian fighter. Some 250 PACAF airmen have deployed to India for the two-week exercise. No word yet on the result.
The cost of the nuclear AGM-181 Long-Range Stand Off missile has come down slightly and the program is on track, but several technologies it relies on are still considered immature, the Government Accountability Office found in a report. Meanwhile, the GAO also assessed the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile as…