The Thar desert of Rajasthan is going to witness an unique thunder next week as the two strategically important war games will be taking place there. The Indian Army is carrying out the exercise code named 'Operation Sudershan Shakti, while the Indian Air Force will display its firepower during the exercise 'Op MahaGujRaj-2011' in the thar desert.
Both the war games are more important for the Indian defence forces as the changing scenario is taking place. Defence experts are saying that the war in coming days will not take long time. It will be a short duration fight between the two forces and it will require synergy between the armed forces as well as the IAF.
This is not the first time that both the elite forces of our country will displaying synergy in the war game zone, but this is becoming a truth for last some time. We can recall the war game lime 'Brazen Chariot' or Op Desert Strike few years ago, and now both the forces are taking some interesting war games in the desert. However, forces carried out such exercises regularly, but during recent past it is first time that Indian Army and IAF are starting war games separately and later these will be displaying combined firepower in the thar.
Aim behind the Army war game is to showcase the early reaching of the units, mainly the strike corps towards the battlefield. It was learnt during the operation Parakram taking out after the tragic terror attack on the Indian parliament in 2001. However, the lot of changes in the doctrain and defence strategies have been seen, but still it is felt that the early action should be initiated within a prescribed time framed. That's why the Desert Corps of the Indian army under the aegis of the Southern Command and the strike cops is taking place the exercise Sudarshan Shakti in the desert. Around one lakh soldiers from the various army units are taking part in the war game and it will be displaying its firepower probably on the Novermber 23, 2011.
On the other hand IAF is taking out an exercise named Excercise MahaGujRaj-2011 in the desert. South Western Air Command (SWAC) named is organizing this war game in its area of responsibility from 20 Nov to 13 Dec 11. According to the spokesperson of the IAF ,the exercise is held annually and this year it is planned in Gujarat and Rajasthan areas. Most of the operatinal units of SWAC would be participating in the exercise which will include various facets of air operations. In addition, joint operations will also be carried out with Southern Command, Army in conjunction with Excercise Sudershan Shakti. This phase of the exercise with the Army will be held in the Rajasthan Sector and will include fighter, transport and helicopter operations.
All aircraft currently with the IAF like Jaguars, MiG-29, MiG-27, Bison and new generation modern aircraft like Sukhoi-30 MKI and Mirage-2000 would be taking part in the exercise. The latest acquisitions of the IAF like the Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS), Flight Refueller Aircraft and some of the new radars with networking systems will also be used during the exercise.
