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| Indian and Malaysian Air Forces Conduct 'Udarashakti' Joint Military Exercises |
International Military - The Indian Air Force is participating in an exercise called Airshakti with the Malaysian Air Force. India will bring Su-30MKI and C-17 fighter planes, while Malaysia will carry its proud Su-30MKM.
The Indian contingent has reportedly landed at the training ground, namely the Malaysian Air Base, Kuantan. The Su-30MKI reportedly flies non-stop from India to Malaysia and performs aerial refueling from IL-78 aircraft, the Eurasian Times reported.
This exercise is expected to be a place to share and learn about the practices of each country. In addition, this exercise is also expected to be a forum for discussing joint combat capabilities.
"The Airshakti exercise will strengthen the longstanding bonds of friendship and improve the path of defense cooperation between the two Air Forces, thereby increasing security in the region," said the Indian Air Force.
Especially when considering the tension in the Southeast Asia region which is increasing day by day due to the arrival of China. Both India and Malaysia, both have "problems" with China. India has been in dispute with China over the border for the past three years.
The two countries have clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between India and China.
In 2020, clashes took place in the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh. The incident resulted in the death of 20 Indian and Chinese soldiers and confirmed the loss of 4 personnel.
Then in the case of Malaysia, China claims the entire South China Sea as its territory. The area covers 200 nautical miles or about 370 kilometers of Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Meanwhile, these waters are rich in 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. All of that is shared with neighboring countries, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
In 2020, Malaysia also clashed with China. The clashes took place in the waters off the Sarawan section, where it belongs to Malaysian oil company Petronas.
At that time, Petronas was reportedly conducting exploration when China was seen sending a survey ship in the area. Seeing this, Malaysia and India concluded that conducting joint military exercises was important.