New Delhi, February 26: The stage is set for the ‘Vayu Shakti–2026’ military exercise. On February 27, at the Pokhran Field and Firing Range, the Indian Air Force will demonstrate its combat capabilities in front of the Supreme Commander, President Droupadi Murmu.
More than 120 aircraft will participate in the exercise, including fighter jets, helicopters, and transport aircraft. According to the Air Force, a total of 77 fighter jets, 43 helicopters, and 8 transport aircraft will be involved. The fighter jet lineup includes Rafale, Sukhoi-30, Mirage 2000, MiG-29, and Jaguar.
Notably, the indigenous Tejas aircraft will not participate due to a recent incident that has led to a thorough inspection of all Tejas jets. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which manufactures the Tejas, clarified that the aircraft did not crash; rather, it experienced a minor technical glitch on the ground.
HAL is currently analyzing the situation in collaboration with the Air Force under standard operating procedures. The exercise will also feature operations of C-130J, C-295, C-17, Chetak, ALH MK-IV, Mi-17 IV, LCH ‘Prachand’, Apache, Chinook, and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). Additionally, short-range loitering munitions, Akash, Spider, and counter-unmanned aerial systems will be deployed for day, evening, and night missions. For the first time, a night assault landing drill will be conducted using the C-295. The C-130J Super Hercules will demonstrate its ability to land on short runways and quickly take off again after deploying Garud commandos into a war zone.
All frontline fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will target objectives on land and in the air. The Rafale will showcase supersonic runs and air defense interception in multi-role missions, including beyond visual range (BVR) combat.
Sukhoi-30s will engage in deep strike missions against simulated enemy command and control centers. Mirage 2000 jets will demonstrate precision strikes on ground targets using 450 kg bombs. Jaguar fighter jets will showcase surveillance capabilities day and night using reconnaissance light pods. The attack helicopter ‘Rudra’ will fire rockets at enemy armored convoys, while ‘Prachand’ will target enemy forward fuel dumps. Throughout the firepower demonstration, precision-guided munitions, laser-guided bombs, R-73 and MICA air-to-air missiles, 450 kg and 1000-pound bombs, loitering munitions, runway stand-off weapon simulations, and an ISR network (utilizing satellites, drones, and sensors) will be showcased.
The ‘Vayu Shakti–2026’ exercise will be attended by President Droupadi Murmu as the chief guest. Other dignitaries include Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth, the Defense Secretary, CDS, and heads of the three armed forces. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and other notable figures will also be present.
The President will first land at the Jaisalmer airbase in the morning, spend some time there, and then proceed to Pokhran.
The ‘Vayu Shakti’ exercise began in 1954 at the Tilpat Range in Delhi and has been held at Pokhran since 1989.
Leave a Comment