Exercise Vayushakti

February 20, 2024

IAF recently conducted Exercise Vayushakti at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Exercise Vayu Shakti-24 is based on the theme ‘Lightning Strike from the Sky’
During the excercise, over 120 aircraft displayed the lAF’s offensive capabilities by day as well as by night.
Targets included simulated enemy aircraft and targets on the ground, including runways, bridges, ammunition dumps, radar sites, terror camps, thermal power plants and ordnance factories, to ensure superiority in the battlefield.
Fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and Hawk were used in the exercise.
The Apache attack helicopter demonstrated its firepower in this event for the first time, by engaging targets with Air to Ground guided missiles, while Mi-17 helicopters engaged ground targets with rockets.
India-made platforms such as the light combat aircraft Tejas, Prachand light combat helicopters, and Akash and Samar surface-to-air missile systems were among the elements featured in the exercise.
The indigenous Air Defence Systems, Akash and SAMAR missile systems were also showcased, destroying multiple aerial targets.