Subhechcha Ganguly 
During the exercise, the IAF will use its front-line weapons, such as light combat aircraft Tejas and Jaguars, Rafale fighter jets, Mirage-2000s, and Sukhoi-30 MKIs.More than 120 aircraft, including 77 fighter jets, will be participating in an upcoming exercise in Rajasthan by the Indian Air Force. The purpose of the drills is to demonstrate the air force’s offensive and defensive capabilities both during the day and at night, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
“During a briefing on the exercise, we will drop 40 to 50 tonnes of ordnance in a one to two-kilometer radius in two hours,” IAF vice chief Air Marshal AP Singh said reporters. According to Singh, the systems participating in the drill for the first time are the Samar surface-to-air weapon system, Prachand light combat helicopters, and Rafales.The last Vayu Shakti took place in Pokhran in February 2019, when fighter planes used a variety of missiles, precision-guided munitions, bombs, and rockets to target and destroy simulated enemy sites, including ammunition dumps, bridges, and command posts. This showed the IAF’s ability to strike hard, strike quickly, and strike precisely.
Exercise Vayu Shakti, as usual, promises to be an enthralling display of the IAF’s offensive and defensive prowess both during the day and at night. It would showcase the IAF’s capacity to launch weapons from several air bases with accuracy, timeliness, and deadly effect, the IAF said in a statement.It stated that the exercise will also highlight cooperative actions with the army.
During the drill, the army’s M777 ultra-light howitzers will be on display. These howitzers, with a 30 km range, are capable of being carried by chinook helicopters as an underslung cargo for quick deployment. They have a 155 mm/39 calibre.
