Joint Military Exercises: News & Discussion

[SSridhar]

Wow, speak of scorching pace.

We are simultaneously exercising with the US, UK, Russia & China this month.

India, China to resume military drills after one year gap - PTI

BEIJING: India and China will resume their joint military drills after a one-year gap on Tuesday in the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu to improve capabilities in fighting terrorism and promote mutual understanding, officials said on Sunday.

The opening ceremony of the drills will be held on December 11, they said.

Each side will send 100 troops to take part in the 7th India and China joint military exercises - 'Hand in Hand' - which will focus on counter-terrorism operations, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Col Ren Guoqiang said last month.

The exercises will be held after a gap of one year as both the sides were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam in the Sikkim sector of the border in 2017.

The strained relations between the two sides later improved resulting in an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April this year.

"The drill will promote understanding between the two militaries and improving their capabilities in fighting terrorism," Col Ren said.

The exercises, which will conclude on December 23, will include live shooting and adoptive and basic training, he said, adding that true to its name 'Hand in Hand', China and Indian militaries should also work hand in hand for the benefit of people in both the nation.

[SSridhar]

Indian, Russian air forces to kick start war game in Jodhpur on Monday - PTI

The Indian and Russian air forces will begin a 12-day war game in Jodhpur on Monday with an aim to enhance their operational coordination.

The exercise — Aviaindra — will be unique as the Russian Air Force will not bring its assets and will take part in the drill using Indian platforms, said an official of the Indian Air Force.

The first edition of the exercise was held in 2014.

Most of the fighter jets being used by the Indian Air Force are of Russian origin, and already both the air forces have achieved significant levels of inter-operability, said the official.

"In India, the pilots from the Russian Federation Aerospace Force will fly alongside their Indian counterparts in the IAF aircraft, which are common to both air forces," the defence ministry said in a statement.

Russia has been a major partner of India in the defence sector and the cooperation has been steadily growing further.

In October last year, India and Russia held a 10-day mega war game involving their armies, navies and air forces for the first time to further ramp up military ties.

The exercise Indra, which took place in Russia, primarily focused on achieving coordination between forces of the two countries in a tri-services integrated theatre command scenario.

It was for the first time, India participate in a tri-services exercise with a foreign country with a large scale participation by the Navy, the Army and the Air Force.

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/VishnuNDTV/status/1 ... 0692872192 ---> Large force engagements between the US Air Force and the Indian Air Force now underway at Kalaikunda Air Force base, West Bengal.

Jaguar IS, F-15 (USAF), Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000. A Gnat at bottom left. Serial # E232.



Both pilots are from No 2 Winged Arrows Sqn flying the Su-30MKI. IIRC, the Sqn is based out of Tezpur. Notice the Su-30MKI and Sqn insignia embossed onto the hats of the pilots. Really Cool!

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/VishnuNDTV/status/1 ... 1924063233 ---> Blast from the past. Look what I spotted during the Indo-US war games - 2 Mirage 2000-5 IN trainers, tail number KT201 and KT202. Had flown on both during Kargil for an incredible story on IAF ops, a first ever for an Indian reporter.

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/livefist/status/1072102116112637952 ---> Very busy wargame week for the Indian armed forces with the US, Russia and China.

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/livefist/status/1071989070497308672 ---> Joint Herc Ops with the US Air Force at the Arjan Singh Air Base in India’s east, with the IAF's No 87 Raiding Raptors Squadron. Cope India 2018.

[Rakesh]

VIDEO: https://twitter.com/livefist/status/1072111954750332928 ---> Some air-to-air love just in Cope India 2018 — IAF Su-30 MKI, Mirage 2000 & Jaguar with a US Air Force F-15.

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/livefist/status/1073146389029445632 ----> Mi-17 joint flights by Indian-Russian crews at Avia Indra 2018.

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/livefist/status/1073181896895590402 ----> Indian & Russian pilots on joint Su-30MKI flights today at Avia Indra 2018.

[Rakesh]

VIDEO: Indian & Chinese army troops in a joint infantry assault drill at Exercise Hand-in-Hand at the Chengdu Shooting Range.

Full Video: https://www.facebook.com/11544518182744 ... 733722439/

[SSridhar]

Military drill with a dozen African nations next year - Rajat Pandit, ToI

India is now stepping-up efforts for a concrete military outreach to Africa after a diplomatic one to counter the deep strategic inroads made by China in the world’s second largest continent, even as the two Asian rivals continue with their shadow-boxing for influence in the Indian Ocean Region.

India will conduct an “India-Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX)” in Pune from March 18 to 27 next year, which will see the participation of over a dozen countries ranging from Tanzania and Kenya to Ghana and South Africa, said defence ministry sources on Wednesday.

“Though Indian armed forces do train some military personnel from a few African nations, the IAFTX will be the first-ever such exercise with several armies from Africa. The initial planning conference for IAFTX was held a few days ago, with the final one slated for end-January,” said a source.

Interestingly, Army chief General Bipin Rawat is also slated to visit Tanzania and Kenya from December 17 to 20 to bolster defence cooperation. As part of its overall policy, India has also been holding defence cooperation talks with countries like Botswana, Egypt, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia as well, say sources.

The defence engagement with South Africa is, of course, at a much higher level. Warships and aircraft from India, South Africa and Brazil, for instance, held the sixth edition of the IBSAMAR naval exercise off Simons Town in October.

“But India has not conducted any bilateral or multi-lateral exercise with other African nations like IAFTX despite long-standing ties with them,” said the source. The exercise will involve “humanitarian mine action” (de-mining and other protocols to handle landmines and explosives) and peace-keeping operations, in which India has decades of expertise, among other areas.

The IAFTX endeavor, incidentally, comes at a time when India is wrapping up a hectic military diplomacy year, which saw it conducting exercises with all the P-5 countries (US, Russia, China, France and UK), apart from other powerhouses like Australia, Japan, South Africa and Brazil as well as Asean countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, as was earlier reported by TOI.

[nam]

VIDEO: Indian & Chinese army troops in a joint infantry assault drill at Exercise Hand-in-Hand at the Chengdu Shooting Range.

Interesting habit of PLA soldiers to use the Pistol as they close up to the target. And then stand in attention.

I am not sure it is a good idea to switch over to pistol in real combat. Or may be i am just nitpicking.

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/delhidefence/status ... 4015522817 ---> Cope India 2018 Closing Ceremony - Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command undertook a sortie in the Mirage 2000 aircraft along with US Air Force General Charles Brown Jr. Commander PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) of USINDOPACOM (United States Indo-Pacific Command) at Kalaikunda earlier today.

[rkhanna]

VIDEO: Indian & Chinese army troops in a joint infantry assault drill at Exercise Hand-in-Hand at the Chengdu Shooting Range.

Interesting habit of PLA soldiers to use the Pistol as they close up to the target. And then stand in attention.

I am not sure it is a good idea to switch over to pistol in real combat. Or may be i am just nitpicking.

Standard non static shooting drill for CQB training all over the world including ours.

the Idea is to transition to your side arm first if you empty the mag on your primary - specially in close quarters.

[jaysimha]

http://indianairforce.nic.in/photo-gallery/127
EX AVIAINDRA 2018

[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1073580859981266944 ----> US Air Force General Charles Brown Jr. Commander PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) of USINDOPACOM (United States Indo-Pacific Command) visited Air Force Station Kalaikunda, today. He interacted with the IAF & USAF teams and said, "It was a great experience & USAF is looking forward more engagements with IAF."

[Rakesh]

Long twitter thread (with LOTS of pictures) of the Indo-Russian joint military exercise....Enjoy!

https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1072506796647038980

[Gagan]

They got the Embraer AEW&C to Kalaikunda

[Austin]

Aviaindra2018 Pictures and Videos

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aviaindra2018?src=hash

[VinodTK]

U.S. spl Ops Forces hold exercise with NSG in Hyderabad

The United States Special Forces Group stationed in Japan is involved in a joint exercise with India's National Security Guard here, aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the armed forces of the two countries.

The US forces are from the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) stationed out of Okinawa in Japan, a release from the US Consulate General said Wednesday.

The Hyderabad-exercise would help build interoperability and comradeship between the two forces and was designed to enhance the capabilities of both Indian and U.S. armed forces, it said.
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[Rakesh]

https://twitter.com/strategic_front/sta ... 8032006144 ---> Indian Army to Sri Lanka for Joint Excersice Mitra Shakti VI.

[ks_sachin]

https://twitter.com/strategic_front/status/1110202688032006144 ---> Indian Army to Sri Lanka for Joint Excersice Mitra Shakti VI.

Bihar?

[SSridhar]

2 [Australian] Navy ships at Chennai Port - The Hindu

Two Royal Australian Navy ships — HMAS Success and HMAS Parramatta — arrived at Chennai Port on Thursday. The ships will join HMAS Canberra and HMAS Newcastle in Visakhapatnam for the third edition of AUSINDEX 19 — the biennial, bilateral exercise — from April 2-16.

HMAS Success is an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel capable of replenishment at sea of other RAN vessels, while HMAS Parramatta is a long range frigate capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction.

More than 1,000 Australian Defence Force personnel will work together with their Indian counterparts on naval manoeuvres and military training activities, according to a statement.

‘Growing partnership’

AUSINDEX 19 would focus on anti-submarine warfare and would see Australia’s largest defence force deployment in India, it added.

“This exercise is part of the strong and growing Australia-India strategic partnership. Australia and India are working together to promote peace and prosperity based on our shared values and interests in a stable, secure, rules-based and inclusive India-Pacific (region),” Ms. Harinder Sidhu, Australia’s High Commissioner to India said in a statement.

“Australia clearly sees India in the top tier of our international relationships. With both countries having extensive maritime zones in the Indian Ocean and significant maritime capabilities, it makes sense for Australia and India to do more together to ensure the Indian Ocean remains inclusive,” she added.

Captain Simon Bateman - Captain, Royal Australian Navy, Australian Defence Adviser to India and Susan Grace – Australian Consul General in Chennai, Captain Darren Grogan, Commanding Officer, HMAS Success and Commander Troy Van Tienhoven, Commanding Officer, HMAS Parramatta were present.

[Singha]

HMAS canberra is the pride of australian navy and its flagship & largest ship - 231m long LPH, the juan carlos design. she carries upto 18 helicopters
it has one sister HMAS Adelaide

i have been shouting for some time that such ships esp the more ASW oriented Izumo class would be ideal to lead troops of ASW corvettes/frigates, submarines and P8s in the deep sea with the heavy complement of ASW helis that no DDG can match. make life very tough on submarines.

this is a good chance to see the usefulness of these next gen LPH ships. the izumo is a bit more smaller, sleeker and faster ...

[Singha]

pics from ausindex 17 where a collins class participated

https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/exercise-ausindex

[Singha]

i read that aus has proposed a logistics sharing pact with india, which might help our efforts to expand ops south of indonesia.

we need one with indonesia as well.

[SSridhar]

Sri Lanka seeks enhanced military training from India - Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu

Sri Lanka has sought enhanced military training from India, according to President Maithripala Sirisena’s office.

Visiting Indian Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra called on Mr. Sirisena on Monday, and wide-ranging matters, including bilateral defence cooperation between the neighbouring countries and regional security, were discussed, officials said.

“India and Sri Lanka agreed to increase cooperation in security and defence spheres in several areas, including regional security, curbing drug smuggling and human trafficking and training of members of the security forces,” a statement from the presidential media unit said.

Thanking India for its partnership, Mr. Sirisena requested to increase the number of personnel trained by India. The Indian Defence Secretary agreed to look into the possibility of enhancing training facilities, the statement further said.

Currently, over 60% of Sri Lanka’s military personnel pursue their young officers’ course, junior and senior command courses in India, according to defence sources in Colombo.

Meanwhile, ‘Exercise Mitra Shakti’, the sixth edition of the joint military training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army, concluded in Badulla district, in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, on Monday.

Contingents from the two countries jointly planned and executed a series of “well-coordinated tactical operations based on scenarios that are likely to be encountered in rural and urban environment”, a press release from the Indian Ministry of Defence said. The two-week programme is part of an initiative that began in 2013 as part of military diplomacy between India and Sri Lanka.

[SSridhar]

Indian, US Navies hold anti submarine warfare exercise - The Hindu

Indian and the US Navies have held a joint submarine-hunting exercise in the Indian Ocean, aiming to lay the groundwork for coordinating maritime patrol and reconnaissance, according to the US Navy.

Indian and the US’ P-8 anti-submarine aircraft, along with the USS Spruance, a guided-missile destroyer, participated in the anti—submarine warfare training on April 15, a US 7th Fleet press statement issued from Diego Garcia said.

The Indian P-8I Neptune aircraft from the Naval Air Squadron 312 based at Naval Station Rajali in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, joined the US P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Patrol Squadron VP-8 “Fighting Tigers”, based in Jacksonville, Florida, in the exercise, the statement said.

“We look forward to developing useful lessons through this engagement and laying the groundwork for future integration efforts between our Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces {The result of COMCOSA?},” the statement quoted Commander Zachary Stang, the commanding officer of the VP—8, as saying.

The Spruance and VP-8 are operating with the 7th Fleet, which is the largest forward deployed fleet of the US and operates in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the focus of India-US strategic cooperation.

“We were greatly impressed by the professionalism and competency of their (Indian) MPRA (Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft),” Commander Matthew Smidt, the commanding officer of the Spruance, was quoted in the statement as saying.

“The exercise was a wonderful experience and opportunity from which we learned and honed our skills”.

India acquired the first of its Boeing—manufactured P—8Is in 2012 and has eight of them, with four more expected to join the squadron next year.

The exercise was the latest in efforts to develop military coordination between the two countries with an eye on the Indo—Pacific, where China is projecting its naval strength to the consternation of other countries in the region.

India, the US and Japan conducted Operation Malabar off the Guam coast last June. Started in 1992 as an India—US exercise, Japan joined it in 2015 turning it into a trilateral cooperation.

The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the USS Rushmore, an amphibious warship, visited Chennai in January.

Earlier this month, the US approved the sale of 24 submarine-hunting MH-60R Seahawk Multi—Mission helicopters to India valued at $2.6 billion.

[SSridhar]

Australian warship in Chennai till May 15 - The Hindu

Australian warship HMAS Toowoomba is making a port visit to Chennai from May 10-15 as part of Australia’s commitment to engage with Indo-Pacific nations and promote regional maritime security and cooperation, a press release from the Australian Consul-General said.

The visit of the warship, commanded by Commander Mitchell Livingstone, follows the success of AUSINDEX19 that saw the largest ever Australian Defence Force Joint Task Force deployed to India.

As part of Toowoomba’s current deployment, the ship will participate in Exercise La Perouse in the Bay of Bengal, which aims to enhance interoperability, build partner capacity and strengthen professional relationships with regional nations, the release said. During the five-day stay, the Commander and the ship’s crew of 184 officers and sailors will experience the culture of southern India.

[ArjunPandit]

http://idrw.org/army-air-force-joint-exercises-end-in-punjab/

A major week-long exercise jointly by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out in Punjab concluded on Tuesday. The exercise, Kharga Prahar, was undertaken by various units and formations of Kharga Corps, an official statement by the Defence Ministry said.Validation of latest operational concepts designed to deliver a swift punitive blow to the adversary were the key features of the exercise. The exercise setting also incorporated aspects of joint training wherein para drops from the Indian Air Force aircraft were carried out and simulated battlefield air strikes were conducted in support of ground forces. The exercise was successful in validating many important operational aspects and brought out valuable lessons and also reinforced a high degree of operational preparedness of the Kharga Corps, it said. The exercise was witnessed by senior dignitaries from the defence establishments.

Interesting timing during the calendar of the year. I suppose the temperatures would be 40+, just curious would pakis loose the advantage around icchogil canal, if its dry. IIRC they had the banks at their side higher than the Indian side. Would endians be able to outnumber them in a dry canal. It would be easier to manage waterflows in drought time

[MeshaVishwas]

Ex "Garuna"

[MeshaVishwas]

^^Glad DD corrected the spelling.
INDRA 2019

The First Planning Conference of India-Russia Tri-Services Exercise INDRA 2019 was held at Ussurysk, Primorsky Krai from July 16-19.

https://twitter.com/IndEmbMoscow/status ... 32352?s=19

COPE India 2019

Pleasure to meet with Air Marshal R. D. Mathur to discuss U.S.-India defence cooperation and plans for the #CopeIndia2019 exercise between the #IndianAirForce and #USAirForce.

https://t.co/JHvArEaQ4A

[MeshaVishwas]

Must watch!

[MeshaVishwas]

[SSridhar]

Army holds simultaneous exercises in Russia and U.S. - Dinakar Peri, The Hindu

Amid tensions with Pakistan, an Indian Army contingent is in Russia for Exercise Tsentr 2019, which began on Tuesday. The Armies of China and Pakistan, besides those of the Central Asian Republics, are taking part in it. At the same time, another Indian Army contingent is in the U.S. for Yudh Abhyas, an annual bilateral exercise.

Later this week, the Army will host the first conference of military medicine for the members of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO).

Yudh Abhyas is being held at Joint Base Lewis McChord at Tacoma, Washington, from September 5 to 18. Exercise Tsentr will go on till September 23 at the Donguz training ranges in Orenburg, a city in southwest Russia.

“Exercise Tsentr 2019 is aimed at evolving drills of the participating Armies and practising them in the fight against the scourge of international terrorism, thereby ensuring military security in the strategic Central Asian region,” the Indian Army said in a statement. The exercise will focus on evaluating the level of troop preparedness, acquisition of skills and raising the level of interoperability, and will demonstrate the readiness of the Armies, it said.

Exercise Tsentr is part of the Russian armed forces’ annual training cycle. It rotates through Russia’s four main operational strategic commands: Vostok (East), Zapad (West), Tsentr (Centre) and Kavkas (South). The exercise has become international over the years, with Belarus joining in 2017 and China and Mongolia in 2018. The participants this year are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, besides Russia.

At the 15th edition of Yudh Abhyas, the U.S. Army is represented by a company of 5-20 Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side is represented by the Assam Regiment. “Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations,” the Army said.

The U.S has been keen on expanding Yudh Abhyas by taking in Japan. Last year, when the exercise was held in India, the U.S. had requested that Japan be made an observer, but India did not accept the plea, official sources said.

Already, the Malabar naval games, which had been a bilateral naval exercise, is now trilateral. In December 2018, Japan joined Cope India, a bilateral air exercise, as an observer. After a couple of editions, Japan will become a full partner in the exercise, official sources said.

The conference of military medicine is scheduled for September 12 and 13. It will be the first military co-operation event hosted by India, under the SCO Defence Co-operation Plan 2019-2020, after it became a SCO member in 2017.

[NRao]

Sept 15, 2019. Yudhaabhyas. IA and USA, Joint Base Lewis–McChord. Assam Regiment song 'Badluram ka Badan'

[MeshaVishwas]

Waited for a long time to see the King in action(Outside Bharatavarsha)
The wait ends.

Exercise #EasternBridge19: Indian Air Force is all set to participate in the Bilateral Indo-Oman Joint Air Ex. Eastern Bridge 19, in Oman from 17-26 Oct 19. The IAF contingent will set course for the exercise on 17 Oct 19. (1/2)

https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1184 ... 78369?s=19

IAF's Mig-29 Upgrade (UPG) will participate in the exercise along with C-17 Globemaster, which is providing the requisite transport support for induction/de-induction. (2/2)

https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1184 ... 04128?s=19

[Kakarat]

I would like Tejas as part of such exercises someday. It would be a great exposure and advertisement for a indigenous product

[nachiket]

Mig-29UPG with underwing drop tanks at Eastern Bridge

[Kartik]

More images from IAF's FB page