Gagan Shakti Exercise 2024: Indian Air Force to brush up Air Dominance skills

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is gearing up to demonstrate its formidable capabilities in the forthcoming ‘Gagan Shakti-2024’ exercise, slated to take place from April 1 to April 10. According to officials familiar with the matter, this exercise will unfold in a realistic setting, encompassing all air force bases and assets across the nation.

Gagan Shakti 2018

Previously held in 2018, ‘Gagan Shakti’ witnessed the IAF executing over 11,000 sorties across two phases. Notably, it showcased the IAF's agility in swiftly transitioning its deployed assets from the western to the eastern front within 48 hours. The exercise aimed to evaluate the IAF's preparedness for potential dual-front confrontations with China and Pakistan.

Covering a spectrum of operations ranging from deep strikes to air dominance and from maritime operations to air Defence, the exercise simulated various scenarios to ready the IAF for short, intense conflicts.

Preceding ‘Gagan Shakti-2024’, the IAF conducted the Vayu Shakti-2024 exercise on February 17 at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer. This exercise witnessed the deployment of cutting-edge assets such as 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.

The recent tri-services Bharat Shakti exercise, held on March 12 at the same venue and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, showcased the synergized capabilities of the Indian military. However, the exercise also witnessed an unfortunate incident when a Tejas aircraft crashed near Jaisalmer, marking the first mishap for the Tejas LCA Mk-1.

The exercise featured a wide array of indigenous 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, various unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, air defence weapons, and artillery guns.

Looking ahead, the IAF is set to host a major international exercise named ‘Tarang Shakti’ later in the year. This exercise aims to bring together 12 global air forces, focusing on enhancing interoperability, sharing best practices, and bolstering military cooperation among participating nations. It will involve a diverse array of aircraft, including fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, mid-air refuelers, airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and unmanned systems. While ‘Tarang Shakti’ marks a significant multilateral exercise to be held in India, the IAF has actively participated in similar drills hosted by other nations.

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