The first article we’ve seen that speculates on the victor of Cope India 2006 admittedly resorted to Web site blogs to find a prevailing view that the Indian Air Force Su-30s bested USAF F-16s. The report is found in the conservative-minded Christian Science Monitor. Is this a repeat of the last Cope India, in which officials acknowledged that USAF F-15s fell to IAF SU-30s and MiG-21s? As CSM notes, there is no official word yet, from either USAF or IAF officials. There also may be no clear-cut winner because the exercise featured mixed teams of Americans and Indians on the same sides.
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…