Recently the Indian Air Force concluded its Vayu Shakti exercise, exhibiting its offensive capabilities with a diverse display of firepower. This exercise held on February 17, highlighted the IAF’s precision in hitting chosen targets powerfully.
During the exercise, conducted at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer, the IAF deployed a range of frontline assets including Mirage-2000s, Rafale fighter jets, Sukhoi-30 MKIs, Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), Jaguars, Apache attack helicopters, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, surface-to-air missile systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Simultaneously, from April 1-10, the IAF undertook the Gagan Shakti exercise, a large-scale drill aimed at simulating a realistic combat environment across all air force bases and assets throughout Bharat. This exercise ran non-stop for 24 hours each day throughout its duration. The Gagan Shakti exercise served as a platform for the IAF to evaluate its readiness to counter threats from multiple fronts, specifically from Pakistan and China.
It focused on assessing joint combat strategies and methods in coordination with the Army and Navy. The exercise also incorporated crucial elements such as air traffic control (ATC) systems, which played an important role in ensuring safe operations by providing real-time aircraft position and weather information to pilots via radio communication. On April 6 and 7, a segment of the exercise took place along a 3.5-kilometer stretch of the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, where the IAF deployed many aircraft including Mirage-2000, Sukhoi, Jaguar, TEJAS jets, Globemaster C-17 transport aircraft, Chinook, Apache, Hercules, and Prachand helicopters.
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