‘Gagan Shakti’ was last held in 2018 when the IAF clocked more than 11,000 sorties during the two-phase air manoeuvres

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will showcase its might and capability to carry out high-octane operations during the upcoming ‘Gagan Shakti-2024’ exercise “in a realistic environment“ from April 1-10, involving all air force bases and assets scattered across the country, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.

‘Gagan Shakti’ was last held in 2018 when the IAF clocked more than 11,000 sorties during the two-phase air manoeuvres that saw the concentration of the force’s deployed assets move from the western sector to the eastern front in less than 48 hours.

It sought to test the IAF’s readiness for a two-front war with China and Pakistan. From deep strikes to air dominance, and maritime operations to air defence, the IAF practiced every manoeuvre in the book to prepare for a short and intense war.

The latest drills follow the Vayu Shakti-2024 exercise, conducted on February 17 at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer, where the IAF deployed its frontline assets, including the Rafale fighter jets, Mirage-2000s, Sukhoi-30 MKIs, Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), Jaguars, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, Apache attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-air missile systems.

This year’s Vayu Shakti was followed by the tri-services Bharat Shakti exercise, which was witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Pokhran on March 12. The integrated tri-services ‘live fire and manoeuvre’ exercise displayed how the Indian military plans to leverage its indigenous capabilities for dominating the battlefield and crushing any threat to national security.

A Tejas aircraft crashed near Jaisalmer minutes after taking part in the tri-services exercise, the first incident for the TEJAS MK-1.

Apart from the TEJAS MK-1, the exercise featured several weapons and systems, including the light combat helicopter Prachand, armed advanced light helicopters, T-90 tanks, BMP-II infantry combat vehicles, drone launched precision guided munitions, a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, air defence weapons, and artillery guns such as the Dhanush, Sharang and K9 Vajra.

Later this year, the IAF will host a mega exercise that is expected to bring together 12 global air forces, with a focus on improving interoperability, imbibing best practices from one another and boosting military cooperation among the participating countries.

Named ‘Tarang Shakti’, this will be the biggest multi-nation air exercise to be conducted on Indian soil. It will involve fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, mid-air refuelers, airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and unmanned systems. While ‘Tarang Shakti’ will be the biggest multilateral exercise to be conducted in India, the IAF has taken part in several such drills on foreign soil.