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IAF holds exercise 'Iron Fist' in Pokhran
JAISALMER: In a breathtaking display of air power, Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft blasted away targets during day, dusk and night in a fire power demonstration, code named 'Iron Fist' at Chandan field firing range in Pokhran on Sunday. The dusk and night phases display were a first-ever by the IAF. While a Airborne Warning and Control System was used to monitor the mammoth exercise, an unmanned aerial vehicle streamed live video images of the target destruction. The air defence demonstration included firing of surface-to-air guided missiles.
Air Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command, Air Marshal A K Gogoi and other senior officers witnessed the exercise. Gogoi reviewed the full dress rehearsal and gave directions on fine tuning of certain aspects.
More than 60 aircraft including frontline fighters - Mig-21 Bison, Mig-27, Mig-29, Mirage-2000, Su-30 MKI, Jaguars, Tejas LCA, transport aircraft namely Hercules, AN-32 and helicopters - Mi-17 1V and Dhruv Mi-35 participated in the exercise. Other unseen force multipliers included mid-air refuellers, AWACS and UAV. The day phase displayed the strike capability of ground attack fighter aircraft. The dusk phase displayed the war-waging capabilities of helicopters. The final phase by night showcased two major aspects of air power - counter-air operations and counter-surface operations.
A Mig-29 flying low and supersonic at 1250 kmph leaving in its wake a deafening sonic boom signalled an explosive start to the exercise. This was followed by a photo-reconnaissance mission by a formation of three Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft. Three waves of fly-past by a combination of Jaguar, Mig-21 Bison, Mig-27, Mig-29, Tejas and Mirage-2000 fighters followed before the armament delivery phase.
An array of targets including mock radar sites, tanks, marshalling yards, terrorist camps, runway, BMPs (infantry fighting vehicles), blast pens and convoys were selectively destroyed in precision attacks by IAF pilots using bombs, rockets and missiles. Both precision-guided ammunitions and conventional armament were used in the display.
IAF holds exercise 'Iron Fist' in Pokhran - The Times of India