Iron Fist: It’s raining rockets and missiles in Pokhran

New Delhi, March 18: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday exhibited its day and night operational capabilities during the Fire Power Demonstration (FPD), Iron Fist. The simulated demonstration involving around 22 types of IAF platforms is currently underway as the preliminary report goes live on OneIndia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have enjoyed every bit of the show, with the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha explaining the finer details of the FPD earlier.

With President Pranab Mukherjee, as the Supreme Commander of Indian armed forces giving the symbolic nod to begin the proceedings, a MiG variant performed a sound-barrier-breaking maneuver, at speeds of 1300 km.

IAF showcased its Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) capabilities with the Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) system making a smooth fly-past. Built on a modified Embraer EMB-145I aircraft, the AEW&C system is currently undergoing flight trials. It is a project under Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), a DRDO lab based out of Bengaluru.

Exactly at 5:34 pm (IST), India's Light Combat Aircraft Tejas dropped a Laser-Guided Bomb shattering a target marked No 3, exhibiting its ground attack capabilities. Switching over its role into a perfect air defence platform, Tejas soon fired an R-73 air-to-air missile, targeting flares dropped by a MiG variant.

Interestingly, moments after Tejas finished its mission, social media was active with question as to whether the R-73 did actually disseminate the target.

Another desi platform, the Light Combat Helicopter too fired rockets one after the other, cleaning up the simulated ground targets.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, the CAS Arup Raha said that the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the IAF are prepared fully to undertake joint operations in any level.

"Be it tactical, operations or strategic in nature. We are fully geared," Raha said.

OneIndia News