NEW DELHI: India on Sunday will kick off a major tri-Service exercise in the eastern theatre to test military combat readiness in mountainous terrain, amid the continuing forward deployment of rival troops along the Line of Control with China.
The 10-day `Poorvi Prahar’ exercise aims to hone the skills of the Army, Navy and IAF in executing integrated joint operations in mountains to enhance operational readiness and inter-Service coordination, sources said on Friday.
A wide array of fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, weaponised Rudra choppers, M-777 ultra-light howitzers , Special Forces and infantry troops, among others, will take part in the exercise.
The induction of M-777 howitzers, which have a strike range of 30-km, has boosted high-volume artillery firepower along the frontier in Arunachal Pradesh, especially as they can be swiftly airlifted from one valley to another by Chinook helicopters.
“The soldiers will also refine their skills and leverage cutting-edge technologies like swarm drones, FPV (first-person view) drones and loiter munitions, which have significantly transformed modern warfare by improving situational awareness, precision and speed,” a source said.
The exercise will also witness joint control structures being established to develop “a more refined common operating picture”, optimizing devices that operate on satellite communications and utilizing AI-driven analytics. “The exercise underscores India’s commitment to maintaining a robust defence posture along its eastern frontier amidst evolving regional dynamics,” the source said.
The exercise comes at a time when India and China are also conducting talks to ease the tense situation in “sensitive” areas like Yangtse, Asaphila and Subansiri river valley in Arunachal Pradesh after recently undertaking disengagement and resuming patrolling at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.
There is, of course, still a long way to go for India’s demand for de-escalation and de-induction of the over 50,000 People’s Liberation Army troops forward deployed in eastern Ladakh, with another 90,000 across Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern sector, to be accepted by China.