On 17 February, Vayu Shakti-24 will be conducted at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer. For this, IAF will deploy its frontline assets during the exercise, including Rafale fighter jets, Mirage-2000s, Sukhoi-30 MKIs, light combat aircraft Tejas, Jaguars, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, Apache attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and surface-to-air missile systems.

“In a span of two hours, we will drop 40 to 50 tonnes of ordnance in a one to two-kilometre radius,” IAF vice chief Air Marshal AP Singh told reporters during a briefing on the exercise. The platforms taking part in the exercise for the first time include Rafales, Prachand light combat helicopters and Samar surface-to-air weapon system,” HT quoted Singh as saying.

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The fighter planes targeted and destroyed simulated enemy sites including ammunition dumps, bridges, and command posts with a variety of missiles, precision-guided munitions, bombs, and rockets, demonstrating IAF’s capability to hit hard, hit fast, and hit with precision, Vayu Shakti exercise — last held at Pokhran in February 2019.

“As always, Exercise Vayu Shakti will be a riveting demonstration of the offensive and defensive capabilities of IAF by day and night. It will demonstrate IAF’s capability to deliver weapons with precision, on time and with devastating effect while operating from multiple air bases,” IAF said in a statement.

The exercise will also showcase joint operations with the army, it said.

During the exercise, the army’s M777 ultra-light howitzers will be seen. Chinook helicopters can carry these 155 mm/39-caliber howitzers, which have a range of up to 30 km, as underslung loads for swift deployment.

“Special operations by IAF transport and helicopter fleets, involving the Garud commandos and Indian Army elements will also be on display,” the statement added.

IAF’s integrated air command and control system (IACCS) will be the backbone of the exercise, HT quoted officials on anonymity.

In the 2019 edition, Vayu Shakti involved light combat aircraft Tejas pounding simulated enemy installations with 2,000lb bombs, Su-30s launching the locally produced Astra missile to take down a ‘hostile jet,’ MiG-21s raining rockets on targets depicting an armoured column and MiG-27s taking out a bunker complex with bombs. Also, Mirage-2000 jets attacked simulated targets with 250-kg bombs.

Meanwhile, IAF will host a mega exercise, named Tarang Shakti, and it is expected to bring together 12 global air forces, with the focus being on improving interoperability, imbibing best practices from one another, and boosting military cooperation among the participating countries.

It will be the biggest multi-nation air exercise to be conducted on Indian soil and will involve fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, mid-air refuellers, airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and unmanned systems, said the report.

Officials added that IAF will also conduct its pan-India and the largest-of-its-kind exercise, Gagan Shakti. In the 2018 edition, the IAF clocked more than 11,000 sorties during the two-phase air manoeuvres that saw the concentration of the air force’s deployed assets move from the western sector to the eastern front in less than 48 hours.

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Published: 02 Feb 2024, 10:45 PM IST