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.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

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.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

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.

Airforce Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airforce Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.


Excellence in Action
Discover how Virtualitics is transforming mission readiness with explainable AI, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision intelligence across the U.S. Department of Defense through its AI-powered Integrated Readiness Optimization suite, for which it has won the Innovation and Business Expansion awards.

Discover the Impact