IAF to conduct two-day combat exercise

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force will on Wednesday begin a two-day combat exercise in the country’s western sector, with the aerial drills involving fighter planes, transport aircraft, airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, mid-air refuellers, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

The exercise will involve assets from airbases spread across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the officials added, asking not to be named.

India has issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) regarding airspace restrictions in the exercise area in Rajasthan that extends towards the Pakistan border between 3.30pm on Wednesday and 9.30pm on Thursday, they said. India’s frontline fighter jets including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and Tejas are set to feature in the exercise.

“IAF is conducting a pre- planned, routine training exercise,” an IAF spokesperson said.

The drills are taking place against the backdrop of simmering tensions between India and Pakistan that are threatening to reach a flashpoint in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike that killed 26 people. The exercise also comes at a time when Pakistan continues to ratchet up tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The exercise seeks to test the IAF’s combat readiness,” said one of the officials cited above. To be sure, the Indian and Pakistani militaries have carried out a series of drills, including missile launches, after the Pahalgam strike that sparked the worst crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours since the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

On Tuesday, the Pakistan Army escalated tensions along the LoC by firing at Indian posts in several sectors including Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor, marking the 12th straight day of ceasefire violations, said another official.

The Indian Army’s counter -fire was measured but effective, he added.

The neighbouring army had opened fire in these eight sectors on Sunday and Monday too, the maximum number of areas it targeted on a single day after the Pahalgam terror attack that was reminiscent of the heyday of terrorism in the 1990s and 2000s and the worst strike on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes.

The extensive ceasefire violations are being seen as a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to escalate tensions along the de-facto border where it has rushed reinforcements to bolster its posture. The repeated targeting of Indian posts has sparked the most extensive cross-border exchange since the 2021 ceasefire.

During the last four days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been given a series of briefings by top officials on the operational readiness of the armed forces and the security dynamics in the region after the strike.

Modi has granted the military a free hand to respond forcefully to the Pahalgam terror attack and underlined that the armed forces have complete operational freedom to choose “the mode, targets, and timing of the response.”

India has significantly multiplied its offensive capabilities since the 2019 Balakot airstrikes against a terrorist camp in Pakistan. The military hardware inducted to power the war machine includes Rafale fighter jets, S-400 air defence missile systems, Barak 8 air defence system, the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, a raft of warships and submarines including the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Arighaat, the Prachand light combat helicopters, the C-295 tactical transport aircraft, artillery guns and a new range of assault rifles.

The capability boost, which coincided with the military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, covers a variety of unmanned systems, smart air-to-ground weapons, missiles, rockets, precision munitions, tank ammunition, high-tech surveillance systems and specialist vehicles.