New Delhi, March 23, 2026
Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force, met Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh in New Delhi on Monday as part of an official visit focused on stepping up defence cooperation between India and the United Kingdom.


The Indian Air Force’s Media Coordination Centre confirmed that the two Air Chiefs discussed ways to enhance operational collaboration, improve interoperability and strengthen bilateral air power ties between the two forces.


The visit is the fourth and highest-level flag-rank engagement from the UK to India this year. Sir Harv Smyth began his day by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial and receiving a Guard of Honour from the Indian Air Force before proceeding to the meeting.


The three-day visit comes weeks after both countries formalised a new training arrangement in February. Under the agreement, the Indian Air Force will send three Qualified Flying Instructors to RAF Valley in Wales — the first time IAF instructors will formally train Royal Air Force fast-jet pilots. The two-year deployment marks a notable shift, with the training assistance now flowing in the opposite direction to what has historically been the case. It follows an earlier posting of an Indian officer to the RAF College Cranwell.


The IAF and the RAF share deep institutional roots. Many of the Indian Air Force’s early pilots trained under RAF auspices, and senior-level visits of this kind are seen as a way of keeping that relationship current and relevant.


The Indian Air Force has not released a detailed readout of Monday’s discussions. Further engagements are expected before Sir Harv Smyth concludes his visit, though no additional details have been made public yet.