Washington: In a sign of intensifying Defence cooperation, US and Indian Air Forces are planning to conduct their first joint exercise with fighter aircraft later this year or in early 2004, American officials have said.

"We are still in the early planning stages of this exercise," said Major James Law, a spokesman for the US Air Force's (USAF) headquarters for Pacific operations.

The US has asked that India fly its top-of-the-line warplanes rather than the older MiG-29s that India also owns, because the US Air Force has never had the opportunity to exercise against the Su-30 or its variant, the Su-27, he said.

"We requested those aircraft because the USAF already participates in exercises with countries that have the Jaguar, Mirage and MiGs, other aircraft the Indian Air Force (IAF) flies," he said.

Major Law said that it has not been decided what US aircraft would be used for the exercise, but another Air Force official said he expected that the F-15 squadron based on the Japanese island of Okinawa would be tapped.

The exercise would be the first time that the highest performing fighters built in the United States and Russia would be pitted against each other, 'The Washington Post' newspaper said.

During the training, the top air-to-air fighter in US Air Force inventory, the F-15C, is expected to fly against the Russian Su-30s that India started acquiring in 1997, it said.

The Pentagon is interested in practising dog-fighting the F-15C -- which was introduced in the US Air Force in 1979 -- with the newer Russian aircraft, it said.

Over the past two years, the 'Post' said, the US-Indian military relationship has thawed and led to a series of exercises, most of them less combat-oriented than the planned air superiority exercise.

Indian paratroopers last year practised parachute jumps in Alaska; US Air Force C-130 cargo aircraft flew to the big Indian air base near Agra for an exercise in military airlift operations; and the Indian and US Navies conducted a four-day exercise that included anti-submarine training.

In addition, Indian experts participated last June in a US missile defence exercise in Colorado, and Indian Defence officials followed up with a visit to the United States to discuss participating in a US missile Defence programme. The Defence Intelligence Agency also instituted a formal relationship with India's military intelligence service.

The 'Post' noted that some senior Pentagon officials in recent years have advocated developing a new strategic relationship with India, which since achieving independence in 1947 was usually seen by the US government either as neutral or as leaning towards the Soviet Union.

Pentagon officials told the paper they believe that India, with its democratic capitalist system, huge population and burgeoning Information Technology industries, can help offset the growing influence of China in South and East Asia.

PTI