Army And IAF Conduct Multi-Domain Exercise Near By LAC In Northeast

Defense sources said on Thursday that the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) did a multi-domain air-land exercise near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the northeast in the second week of March. The exact location was not revealed.

As a step toward making integrated theater commands, the exercise comes at a time when the defense forces are trying to make it official that they work together at the tactical level.

Since 2020, India and China have been in a military standoff along the Tibetan border, where China has already put its Combined Arms Brigades on the ground.

The Vayu Prahar exercise took place in the eastern theater to test joint plans and carry out multi-domain operations in sync, sources said.

They also said that the goal of operations like these is to coordinate military activities across the board to create effects that work together.

Defense sources said that the scope of the exercise included the quick mobilization of a specified rapid reaction force from the hinterland to do air-landed operations in a nominated advanced landing ground (ALG) close to the LAC. An air-landed operation is when troops are dropped from the air to quickly surround enemy forces.

As part of its effort to improve infrastructure along the LAC, India is building a number of ALGs in forward locations to make more air operations possible. In Arunachal Pradesh, there are ALGs in Along, Mechuka, Tawang, Tuting, Walong, and Ziro, among other places. These ALGs are also being used by civilian planes now.

They added that the air landed force executed contingency tasks based on a realistic operational scenario in a challenging high-altitude terrain.

A source said, “The way Vayu Prahar was done allowed different agencies to work together and practice quick mobilization, transportation, and deployment of forces within a theater, which can be done in other theaters as well.”

“The exercise validated and refined procedures quintessential for synergised joint operations. Army Formations, Special Forces, and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) all took part in the 96-hour exercise,” the source said.

Last month, the Army held a joint training exercise called Trishakti Prahar near the strategic Siliguri Corridor in North Bengal.

Army sources said that the goal of the exercise was for the defense forces to practice being ready for battle with the newest tools and weapons in a networked and integrated environment.

The Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF), and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) all took part in the exercise.