With the objective to test the operational preparedness to simultaneously fight a two-front war with Pakistan and China, the IAF will conduct a 10-day long pan-India exercise starting next week.

It will involve more than 1,100 aircraft and at least 7,000 men of the three Services. The drill named “Gaganshakti” will involve air, land and naval scenario. In order to retain the element of surprise, the air warriors will get orders at a very short notice by the IAF chief to begin operations as it happens in real war.

The exercise scheduled to begin on April 11 will see the IAF testing the entire spectrum of its capabilities in the western sector facing Pakistan in the first phase. The second phase will see the operational theatre shifting to northern border with China. The Indian Government has informed Pakistan about the exercise.

Giving details of the exercise of this scale held every two years, senior IAF officials said here on Friday almost the entire fighter jet fleet including SU-30, Jaguars, MIG-29s and Mirage-2000 will fly missions simulating real time combat. Giving an example of the pan-India nature of the exercise, they said a SU-30 will take off from a base in Assam and bomb a target somewhere in western sector in Rajasthan or Punjab and then return after the cross-country mission.

Moreover, in an effort to overcome the shortage of aircraft, the IAF commanders will test the ruggedness of the existing fleet by flying more sorties with the same aircraft. Explaining the importance of this measure, they said the IAF plans to fly more than 4,000 sorties in the 10-day exercise thereby testing the maintenance expertise to keep the jet in flying condition at all times.

Besides engaging in combat manouveres in air, the IAF in collaboration with the Army will practise special operations by dropping commandos in “hostile” territory to take out terrorists or strategic installations of the enemy. The entire fleet of C-130J, C-17 and IL-76 transport planes will be deployed for ferrying troops and weapons across the length and breadth of the country as it will happen in war time too, they said.

Moreover, the helicopters, transport planes and fighter jets will take off and land at advanced landing grounds (ALG) and temporary airstrips in the remote regions like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. These drills will enable the commanders to anaylse the performance of the flying crew and machines in flying in extremely tough terrain when faced by an enemy who will try to deny the Indian forces the space and time to operate, officials said. The IAF will also practise with the Navy for its maritime operations deep inside the sea with the Navy deploying its warships and other assets simulating real combat scenario in a network centric environment.

On the two-year gap between each episode of such exercises, officials said an operation of such a large-scale is expensive and involves preparation and planning for months. They also said the Railways and the Ministry of Civil Aviation are also in the loop for this exercise as the trains ferried equipment to the forward bases. The Aviation Ministry will ensure air space devoid of civil traffic for some hours every day and officials ensured there will be no diversion or delay of commercial flights.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Saturday, 07 April 2018 | PNS | New Delhi