NEW DELHI: The IAF is all set to launch its major pan-India exercise called“GaganShakti” to hone its war-fighting skills and test both its offensiveand defensive capabilities on the western front with Pakistan and easternone with China, Times of India has reported.

The high-voltage exercise from April 8 to 22 will witness over 1,100different types of aircraft, helicopters and drones, ranging from fighterslike Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirage-2000s to force-multipliers like IL-78 mid-airrefuellers and Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), taketo the skies to test IAF’s two-front deployment capability.

The aim of the exercise is to validate IAF’s full-spectrum capability, withreal time coordination, deployment and employment of air power in a shortand intense battle scenario.

“Concepts of accelerated operations, network-centric operations, long rangemissions with concentrated weapon releases across all air to ground rangesin India and inter-valley troop transfer as well as joint operations withthe Navy and Army link> will allbe validated,” said IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjeelink>.