Army, IAF Jointly Execute Air-Land Battle Concept

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) The Army and the Indian Air Force jointly executed their Air-Land Battle Doctrine at the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges during Exercise Brazen Chariots.

This doctrine is based on manoeuvre and rapid response to disrupt the enemy's decision cycle. It is also associated with the idea of an extended battlefield intended to disrupt and delay the enemy's follow-on echelons.

Organic weapons of the Army may not always be capable of achieving this objective due to their limited range and mobility.

This can most effectively be carried out by air power. The probability of future conventional wars being short, swift and intense has necessitated a shift in focus of land battle to manoeuvre warfare.

The Air Land doctrine stresses the fundamental shift away from the past attrition style of warfare to one of air arm making a significant contribution to the success of battle. It progressively recognises that the inherent flexibility, variety and reach of airpower makes it a prime contributor to the future war, observed an official spokesperson here.

During the exercise yesterday, the latest array of weaponry was fielded by the Army and the IAF in a joint and synergistic Air-Land battle setting. In addition, the IAF's ability and reach to para-drop Special Forces and Para Troopers with heavy combat and logistic loads was being integrated in this exercise.

The joint operations with ground forces demonstrated the synergy and team spirit. During the exercise fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters including SU-30, MIG 21, MIG 27, IL 76, AN 32, MI-17 and MI-35 aircraft unleashed their firepower of a variety of weapons against simulated targets like artillery gun positions, company defended locations, communication nodes, logistics camps and armoured depots.

The Army Aviation Corps was also used for tactical mobility of land forces during the exercise.

The Exercise involved engagement of an air target by shoulder-fired air defence missiles, special heliborne operations, firing of multi-barrel launcher batteries, helidrop, deployment and firing of a mortar battery and conduct of airborne operations.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with electronic sensors were also used to provide necessary support to these simulated operations.

The Exercise was witnessed by senior military observers of about 60 countries.

UNI DG PK VC1626