Cope India 2004

How much weight would you give the comments of General Hornburg?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3834843.stm

War games in India 'show up US'
By Nick Childs
BBC Pentagon correspondent

The success of India's air force against US fighters in an exercise suggests
the US may be losing its air superiority, a US general has said
Gen Hal Hornburg said an exercise in February, known as Cope India, had been
"a wake-up call".

The mock air battles in central India had pitted US F-15s against advanced
Russian-designed Sukhoi SU-30s.

General Hornburg said the results show the US may not be as far ahead of the
rest of the world as it had thought.

Cold War mentality

Of course, it suits the US Air Force at the moment to argue that it needs to
invest more in air power, as it tries to get funding for advanced new planes
like the next generation of stealth fighters, the F/A-22 and F-35.

Some analysts, and some members of Congress, argue that the air force is
stuck in a Cold War mentality, and is pressing for planes that it does not
really need.

But establishing air superiority and air dominance is key to US strategy and
many in the air force have argued that there are still many more
sophisticated potential adversaries out there than Iraq and Afghanistan.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...as/3834843.stm

Published: 2004/06/24 01:20:15 GMT