Cope India is taking place in the face of a massive protest by communists opposed to New Delhi’s cooperation with USAF. Some 70,000 activists gathered to protest the Cope India maneuvers at the IAF’s Kalaikunda Air Base. Workers affiliated with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) shouted slogans. Things stayed peaceful, possibly because India had deployed 800 policemen to the base.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.