Tri-service integrated exercise held in India's northern borders

Kolkata: The Indian Army, Air Force and Navy conducted a three-day tri-service integrated multi-domain exercise till Thursday in the rugged high-altitude terrain of the Himalayas in the northern borders of the country, a Defence official said.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and space resources were put to use in 'Exercise Prachand Prahaar' along with deployment of advanced surveillance resources of all three services, including long-range surveillance aircraft of the Indian Air Force and maritime domain awareness aircraft of the Indian Navy apart from helicopters, he said.

The three-day exercise saw the participation of the Indian Army's elite special forces in tandem with the surveillance resources to create seamless domain awareness and detect simulated targets, the official said in a statement.

Targets were swiftly destroyed through the synchronised joint firepower of fighter aircraft, long-range rocket systems, medium artillery, armed helicopters, swarm drones, loitering munitions and kamikaze drones in an electronically contested environment in the exercise, he said.

This exercise is in continuation with 'Exercise Poorvi Prahar' held in November 2024, which focused on the integrated application of aviation assets, the official said.

"Exercise Prachand Prahaar validated integrated planning, command and control as well as seamless execution of surveillance and firepower platforms across the three services, covering the entire spectrum of conflict," he said.

The exercise underscored the armed forces' unwavering commitment to jointness, precision and technological superiority, he said.

"It reinforced the ability to execute multi-domain operations with unparalleled synergy, ensuring India's preparedness to deter and decisively engage any emerging threat along its strategic frontiers," the official said.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command, Lieutenant General Ram Chander Tiwari, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal Surat Singh and Naval Officer-in-Charge, West Bengal, Commodore Ajay Yadav, reviewed the exercise and commended the participants on their high professional standards.