IAF to hold Vayushakti-2022 exercise next month

Around 140 aircraft, including 100 fighter jets, are expected to participate in the exercise.

Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to conduct the Vayushakti-2022 military drill at Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan next month.

According to The Times of India (TOI) report, a meeting between IAF and the local administration was held recently as part of the preparations for the exercise.

The exercise is expected to involve 140 aircraft, including 100 fighter jets.

The exercise was previously scheduled for this month. However, it is now slated for 5 March 2022.

Vayushakti-2022 will involve a variety of operations such as counter airstrike, defensive counter-air, offensive counter-air, and other demonstrations. It is expected to be attended by Indian President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Preparations for the exercise are currently underway with fighter jets honing target-hitting skills, official sources told the publication.

The sources further told TOI that a variety of missiles will be demonstrated during the event.

Drill participants may include Rafale planes equipped with MICA missiles such as the Sukhoi-30, MiG29, LCA Tejas, Mirage 2000, MiG-21 Bison jets among others.

IAF’s Apache, Chinook and Dhruv helicopters will participate in certain activities during the night.

The Vayushakti war exercise is conducted every three years.

Last year, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and IAF tested the indigenously developed Long-Range Bomb (LRB).

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) later said that the test fulfilled all the mission objectives.