During a massive exercise involving over 120 aircraft, including frontline fighter jets and attack helicopters, the Indian Air Force (IAF) demonstrated its firepower capability on Saturday in the Pokhran desert of Rajasthan.
The IAF also showcased the capabilities of its air-to-air missiles and long-range drones during the Vayu Shakti exercise. It also showed how strong it is becoming at quickly deploying combat assets by airlifting M-777 ultra-light howitzers and other military platforms.
Under the theme ‘Lightning Strike from the Sky’, more than 120 aircraft demonstrated the IAF’s offensive capabilities both during the day and at night.
According to the IAF, fighter aircraft from the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas, and Hawk, among others, used lethal precision to attack and destroy simulated enemy targets both in the air and on the ground.
These attacks were carried out in a number of ways, using conventional bombs, rockets, and various precision-guided munitions.
Maintaining the Indian Air Force’s unwavering dedication to ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat,’ the homegrown Tejas aircraft demonstrated its ability to perform a swing role by destroying an aerial target with a missile and then engaging a ground target with bombs.
Keeping up with the technological advancements in the combat domain and the lessons learnt from recent conflicts, the IAF also displayed a long-range unmanned drone, which destroyed a simulated enemy radar site, with pinpoint accuracy.
An IAF Rafale also successfully engaged an aerial target with a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.
The event began with three Chetak helicopters trooping the national flag and the Air Force ensign, flying past the grandstand with the national anthem playing in the background.
It was followed by a perfectly timed ‘sonic boom’ created by a Rafale aircraft. Two Jaguar aircraft flying at low levels followed the Rafale, taking high-fidelity reconnaissance images of the area.
Combat support operations by transport aircraft included a containerised delivery system drop by a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and an assault landing by a C-130J carrying IAF special forces, the Garuds, the IAF said in a statement.
The Apache attack helicopter demonstrated its firepower in this event for the first time, by engaging targets with air-to-ground guided missiles, while Mi-17 helicopters engaged ground targets with rockets.
Joint operations included the IAF and the Army’s weaponised version of the advanced light helicopters Mk-IV devastating simulated enemy targets using their rockets and swivel guns.
As another first, IAF Chinook helicopters demonstrated rapid deployment of combat assets by airlifting the Indian Army’s M-777 Ultra-Light Howitzers in an underslung mode enabling prompt destruction of simulated enemy targets on the ground.
As the sun set on the horizon, Garuds inserted by Mi-17 helicopters carried out an ‘Urban Intervention’, demonstrating their prowess in anti-terror operations aimed at clearing hideouts of inimical elements.
The indigenous air defence systems, Akash and SAMAR, were also showcased, destroying multiple aerial targets.
Night events displayed for the first time the capabilities of the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter ‘Prachand’ wherein it neutralised designated targets with rockets.
Subsequently, a Jaguar and Su-30 MKI demonstrated the IAF’s capacity for strategic bombing by releasing heavy calibre and area weapons at night.
The bomb damage assessment of every target was completed by remotely piloted aircraft and was broadcast live to the operations center and the public.
General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Defence Staff, observed the drill.
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