Army, IAF to conduct exercise, test high-tech weaponry

New Delhi, Mar 5 (UNI) The Indian Army and the Air Force will conduct a 'fire and manoeuvre' combat exercise in the desert sector to test all the latest high-tech weapon system acquisitions and war fighting support systems.

The Exercise 'BRAZEN CHARIOTS,' a Fire and Manoeuvre, Army-Air Force, combat exercise' will be conducted by one of India's Desert Formations in the Desert Sector on March 19.

It will be witnessed by several foreign dignitaries and Defence Attaches of friendly foreign countries, a Defence spokesman said today.

The exercise has been set to project the Manoeuvre Warfare Doctrine which has since been promulgated in the Indian Armed Forces and is seen as a breakaway from the traditional attritionist approach of the Army.

The Army will put to test all of its latest weapon system acquisitions, to include the state of the art missile firing tanks T-90 (Bhishma), all weather Air Defence Gun Missile Systems, Searcher UAVs and other electronic sensors and surveillance equipment.

The Indian Air Force, during the Exercise, would be closely supporting the surface forces with its frontline fighter aircraft like the SU-30 Mk I and Jaguar, unleashing variety of ordnance.

The exercise will also involve deployment of a comprehensive communication and data linking systems incorporating Battlefield Surveillance System and Force Multiplier Command Post.

While the acquisition of hi-tech weaponry and war fighting support systems is an essential pre-requisite to success in battle, honing human skills to be able to apply infinite technology advancements in military hardware is a never ending challenge faced by modern armies of the world, the Indian Army being no exception.

During the conduct of Exercise, combat decisions taken at each level of command will be analysed for their ability to synergise the application of state-of-the-art weapon platforms to achieve optimum results aimed at causing pre-emption, disruption and dislocation of opposing forces.

UNI RB SB HT1936