IAF to hold largest pan - India exercise with offensive capabilities test on western front with Pakistan
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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 offensive and defensive capabilities on the western front with Pakistan and eastern one with China, Times of India has reported.
The high-voltage exercise from April 8 to 22 will witness over 1,100 different types of aircraft, helicopters and drones, ranging from fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirage-2000s to force-multipliers like IL-78 mid-air refuellers and Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), take to the skies to test IAF’s two-front deployment capability.
The aim of the exercise is to validate IAF’s full-spectrum capability, with real time coordination, deployment and employment of air power in a short and intense battle scenario.
“Concepts of accelerated operations, network-centric operations, long range missions with concentrated weapon releases across all air to ground ranges in India and inter-valley troop transfer as well as joint operations with the Navy and Army <link> will all be validated,” said IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee <link>.
