Text Ratnajyoti Dutta | Photographs Sipra Das
POKHRAN: India’s combat and air strike prowess was displayed with lethality and precision at the Pokhran Range, near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, during the Indian Air Force’s Vayu Shakti 2024 exercise on February 17.
The airshow exuded confidence in the tagline of the Indian Air Force – Touch the Sky with Glory. It was carried out during daytime, dusk and night under simulated war conditions.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was the Chief Guest at the airshow. The spectators witnessed precision in the demolition of ground targets at least two kilometres away from the audience gallery.
The IAF displayed 121 aircraft for combating and air strike capabilities at Pokhran, a place linked to the strategic aspirations of the nation as a test-bed for various weapons, including hydrogen and atom bombs.
An annual affair
The IAF’s squadrons practice at least once a year for the delivery of lethal weapons at the Pokhran range. The range in the arid Rajasthan desert assumes significance because of its sheer size and extent of safety zone where some specialised weapons can be fired and tested. The exercise started with three Chetak helicopters, trooping the National Flag and the Air Force ensign, flying past the grandstand with the National Anthem playing in the background.
A Rafale aircraft created a perfectly timed Sonic Boom after the Chetak display. Next were two Jaguar aircraft flying at low levels, taking high-fidelity reconnaissance images of the area. Around 50 metric tonnes of ordnances were dropped over an area of two square km during the exercise, the IAF said in a statement after the exercise.
Simulated targets
IAF fighter aircraft like the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas and Hawk attacked and destroyed simulated enemy targets on the ground and in the air with precision. These attacks were delivered in multiple modes and directions, employing a variety of precisionguided manoeuvres as well as conventional bombs and rockets. Indigenously built Tejas aircraft showcased its swing-role capability and destroyed an aerial target with a missile, followed by the engagement of a ground target with bombs.
The lAF displayed a long-range unmanned drone, which destroyed a simulated enemy radar site with pinpoint accuracy. An IAF Rafale successfully engaged an aerial target with a beyond-visualrange air-to-air missile. Combat support operations by transport aircraft included a Containerised Delivery System drop by a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and an assault landing by a C-130J carrying IAF Special Forces – Garuds.
Apache firepower
The Apache attack helicopter demonstrated its firepower in the airshow for the first time by engaging targets with air to ground guided missiles, while Mi17 helicopters engaged ground targets with rockets.
After sunset, Garuds inserted by Mi-17 helicopters demonstrated prowess in antiterror/insurgency operations for clearing hideouts. The indigenous Air Defence Systems, Akash and SAMAR missile systems were displayed at the airshow, destroying multiple aerial targets. Night events displayed for the first time the capabilities of the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter ‘Prachand’ that neutralised designated targets with rockets. A Jaguar and Su-30 MKI dropped heavy calibre and area weapons at night, showcasing the strategic bombing capability.
