Indian Air Force Vayu Shakti-24 in Rajasthan
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct a major exercise called Vayu Shakti-24 in Rajasthan on 17 February. The exercise will showcase the offensive and defensive capabilities of the IAF during day and night operations.
Aircrafts Participating
Over 120 aircraft will participate in Vayu Shakti-24, including 77 fighter jets. The platforms include Rafale fighter jets, Mirage-2000s, Sukhoi-30 MKIs, light combat aircraft Tejas, Jaguars, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, Apache attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and surface-to-air missile systems. Assets participating for the first time include Rafales, Prachand light combat helicopters and Samar surface-to-air weapon system. The army’s M777 ultra-light howitzers will also participate, showcasing joint operations.
Weapons and Targets
In a span of two hours, the IAF will drop 40 to 50 tonnes of ordnance in a 1-2 km radius on simulated targets like ammunition dumps, bridges, and command posts. A variety of missiles, precision-guided munitions, bombs, and rockets will be used to demonstrate the IAF’s capability for precision strikes.
Command and Control
IAF’s integrated air command and control system (IACCS) will coordinate the complex exercise involving multiple bases and a variety of aircraft and weapons.
Important Exercises Involving Indian Air Force
| Exercise Name | Description | Partners | Key Focus Areas |
| Gaganshakti | A massive pan-India exercise involving all IAF assets to test network centric warfare, combat power, and response times. | None (IAF internal) | Network centric warfare, combat power, response times |
| Vayu Shakti | The IAF’s firepower demonstration event held at Pokhran ranges displaying the precision and strike capabilities of its aircraft and equipment. | None (IAF internal) | Firepower demonstration, precision strikes |
| Cope India | Bilateral air exercise initiated to enhance interoperability and knowledge of best practices. | United States Air Force | Interoperability, knowledge exchange |
| Garuda | Bilateral exercise conducted in realistic operational scenarios to share best practices and build operational synergy. | French Air Force | Operational synergy, best practices exchange |
| Eastern Bridge | Bilateral combat drill to enhance operational synergy through mutual exchange of information and operational knowledge. | Oman’s Royal Air Force | Operational synergy, information exchange |
| Desert Eagle II | Bilateral operational exercise involving a diverse range of advanced fighter jets and support elements. | United Arab Emirates Air Force | Advanced combat training, operational tactics |
| Indradhanush | Bilateral training activity for knowledge sharing across all spheres of air force operations. | British Royal Air Force | Knowledge sharing, operational tactics |
| Sindex | Bilateral training engagement including complex combat scenarios and large force employment exercises. | Singapore Air Force | Combat scenarios, large force employment |
| Ekuverin | Bilateral training interaction for operational synergy. | Maldives National Defence Force | Operational synergy, joint training |
| Udarashakti | Joint military drill including assets from the three services of the Indian Armed Forces to enhance operational synergy and joint operational planning. | None (Indian Armed Forces internal) | Joint operational planning, operational synergy |
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