IAF chief Arup Raha leaves for US on four-day visit

NEW DELHI: IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today left on a four-day visit to the US where he will hold discussions on strengthening the bilateral defence cooperation.

His visit comes days before US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter undertakes his maiden visit here early next month.

During Raha's visit, the pending deal worth $2.5 billion for 22 AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift choppers is likely to be discussed.

The deal is likely to be inked during Carter's visit.

The IAF chief is visiting USA on the invitation of General Mark A Welsh III, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force (USAF).

Raha is scheduled to hold talks with senior military leadership and discuss a wide range of bilateral issues on the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries.

The itinerary also includes a tour of airbases under Special Ops Command and a visit to the Combined Air Operations Centre at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where he would be briefed on IAF participation in multi-lateral Air Exercises.

India had last participated in the Red Flag Air Excercise with the US in 2008. Asked why this was so, defence sources said the financial cost of the air excercises is very high.

In recent years, there have been close and frequent contacts at political and military levels between the two countries.

"Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha's visit to the US would further boost bilateral relations between the two Air Forces and is likely to provide greater convergence at the operational level," an IAF statement said.