Indian Army conducts biggest Airborne Exercise in North Eastern Theatre

The Indian Army conducted one of the biggest Airborne Exercise in the North Eastern Theatre on Friday, January 10. This exercise was named ‘Winged Raider’. The name signifies the multi-dimensional nature of the exercise. 

Winged Raider 

The Army before carrying out the exercises conducted a series of intense preparations. The intensive prep involved the movement of special forces and rallying up of transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force starting from January 6. Also, as per the Indian Army’s press release, more than 500 soldiers of Special Forces troops parachuted from C 130 Hercules, C 17 Globemaster and Dhruv helicopters during day and night. 

Read: 7th Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Exercise 'MITRA SHAKTI-VII' at Pune

Talking about the state-of-the-art equipment that was used during the exercise, the press release read, “The newly inducted aerial platforms and equipment were validated, with clockwork precision and seamless integration between the Indian Army and Indian Air Force in difficult terrain. The exercise was telecast live to all field formation headquarters in the Theatre”. Additionally, the exercise Winged Raider demonstrated the operational readiness of the Indian Paratroopers and Air Warriors to undertake airborne missions. 

Read: Indian & Uzbek troops perform heliborne training during Dustlik 2019

Joint Exercise with Sri Lanka

The Indian and Sri Lankan troops carried out specialised joint training exercises in Pune during December. It was called ‘Mitra Shakti-VII'. The training included various exercises like special heliborne operations practice, silent insertion and jungle lane shooting and improvised explosive device familiarisation and handling. The joint training session of Indian and Sri Lankan troops concluded on December 14. 

Read: NSA Ajit Doval calls on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in New Delhi

India’s joint military training with Uzbekistan  

During the ‘Dustlik 2019’, the India-Uzbekistan joint troops were seen performing a heliborne training exercise on November 7. This cames as the Indian troops visited Uzbekistan for the first time for the Indo-Uzbek Joint Exercise named 'Dustlik 2019'. The Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh attended the curtain raiser event of this joint exercise on November 4 along with his Uzbek counterpart Major General Bakhodir Nizamovich Kurbanov. The Joint Military Exercise was focused on counterterrorism, an area in which the two countries share a common concern. The exercise also enabled the sharing of best practices and experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries. 

Read: PM Modi welcomes Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, upholds 'neighborhood first'