IAF Commences 11-Day Mega Exercises With Army On China-Pakistan Borders As India Prepares To Host G20 Summit

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commenced a major combat training exercise along the China-Pakistan fronts in the northern and western sectors.

Concurrently, Indian Army units are conducting high-altitude drills in eastern Ladakh and the Arunachal-Sikkim sector.

The exercise, codenamed 'Trishul', is being conducted by the IAF's Western Air Command (WAC), which is responsible for a large front from Ladakh to Rajasthan.

It is noteworthy that this exercise is taking place as India prepares to host the G20 summit this weekend and amidst the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, which has been ongoing for four years.

The primary objective of this 11-day exercise is to assess the overall combat readiness of the WAC.

Various combat assets have been deployed, including fighter aircraft like Rafales, Jaguars, MiG-29s, and Sukhoi-30MKIs, as well as transport aircraft like C-130Js and C-17s.

Additionally, surface-to-air guided weapons such as S-400s, medium range surface to air missiles (MR-SAMs), and Akash are also being utilised for the exercise.

During the G20 summit in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September, the IAF will also be providing air cover over the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). Various fighters, surface-to-air missiles and anti-drones systems will be used to secure the airspace.

Both strike corps of the army — 1 Corps and 17 Corps — are currently training along with the IAF in their respective area of operations, as well.

The 1st Strike Corps, headquartered in Mathura, focuses on the northern sector (eastern Ladakh) of the LAC.

On the other hand, 17 Strike Corps, based in Panagarh, West Bengal focuses on the eastern sector, including the Chumbi Valley opposite Sikkim.