Over the past two months, the Indian Armed Forces have been unusually active in operational exercises and demonstrations in their western theatre (air, land, and sea).

September 2022

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a joint Gagan Strike exercise in Patiala (Punjab), consisting of US-origin Apache64Es and indigenously-manufactured HAL Rudra Advanced Light Helicopter-Weapon Systems Integrated (ALH-WSI) conducting aerial assault in support of mechanised columns. The army aviation assets also conducted night operations for precision engagements. The 2 Corps (Kharga Corps) is India’s main strike formation in the western sector that is primarily focused on offensive incursions deep inside Pakistani territory. Such drills are not new since the 2 Corps has spearheaded the Brahmashira series of exercises in the plains of Punjab and deserts of Rajasthan with the IAF for validation of the proactive operations or Cold Start doctrine. The consolidation of Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) was the key outcome of this doctrine. The Indian Army and IAF have been validating these offensive strike capabilities through multiple manoeuvres over the past many years. Upholding its trend of reporting on such exercises, the Western Command did not disclose information about participating IAF assets. Upon the conclusion of the exercise, India’s Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, visited Western Command headquarters for a briefing on operational preparedness.

Subsequent to the IBGs exercise, artillery elements from the 22 Infantry Division (Charging Ram Division) conducted integrated firepower exercises in support of “deep strikes”, including through activation of sensor-to-shooter links that is considered an important element in maximising firepower lethality for future combat.

October 2022

Earlier in the month, the Kalateer Brigade conducted integrated training and floatation drills “across the Indira Gandhi Canal” to exhibit readiness. Based on an examination of formation logos, it is believed the word Kalateer (Black Arrow) refers to the 16 (Independent) Armoured Brigade headquartered in Mamun (Punjab) under the command of 2 Corps. This canal is the longest one in India, which originates downward from the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers of Punjab in Harike (north) to the Thar desert in Rajasthan (south), alongside the international border with Pakistan. The drills manifested a month after similar combat floatation exercises by 16 Corps (White Knight Corps) of Northern Command in the Chenab River.

The Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command (WNC) carried out a comprehensive operational/ combat readiness exercise for the Western Fleet in a multi-threat scenario. It witnessed the participation of multiple warships, submarines, and an assortment of aircraft during the day and night drills focusing on anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. The newly commissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was a noteworthy participant in the exercise. An important outcome was the successful testing of network-centric linkages between WNC headquarters and all its formations. Another milestone was the readiness of INS Hansa, the Indian Navy’s largest air station. The navy’s fleet of aviation assets such as P8Is, Dorniers, IL-38s, HALE Sea-Guardian UAVs, Sea King helicopters, Kamov 31 and Chetak helicopters and MiG-29K conducted sorties alongside Su-30MKI aircraft of the IAF. A press note by the Indian Navy mentioned the “maritime element” of the IAF, which indicates that the Su-30MKIs were almost certainly from the No. 222 Squadron (Tiger Sharks). As another media release shows, the Main Data Centre of the Naval Communication Network in Mumbai (NCN) was inaugurated during the conduct of these exercises.

The Pakistan Armed Forces have not recently conducted any service-level, joint or tri-service drills near the Line of Control and international border, nor is India faced with an imminent operational threat from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the Western Indian Ocean.

A Dornier-228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft from the Indian Naval Air Squadron 550 (INAS 550) under Southern Naval Command successfully carried out its maiden night landing at Agatti Island, one of the outermost islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago of India’s western seaboard in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy’s press release said that the exercise aimed to “reinvigorate and re-emphasise India’s maritime moorings” and that the night landing capability “will boost Indian Navy’s efforts towards round the clock maritime surveillance and support to the islands [sic]”.

The Indian Army’s Western Command once again tested IBGs. Unlike the 2 Corps exercise in September, these drills involved 11 Corps (Vajra Corps) headquartered in Jalandhar, Punjab. The exercise reportedly involved infantry units equipped with T-90 main battle tanks and BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles with aerial assault and cover support by the Garutmaan Attack Helicopter Squadron. One of the images released by the command headquarters shows the participation of indigenously manufactured Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters. An official was quoted saying that this exercise was held “to check the readiness of Vajra Corps for [the] Western Command’s biggest IBG exercise” and that it would “validate newly converted mechanised formations known as reorganised plains infantry divisions and to test the efficacy of the latest induction and upgrades in weapons and equipment”.

During the Defence Exhibition 2022 (DEFEXPO-22) in Gujarat, commandos of the Indian Army and Indian Navy (MARCOS) demonstrated a joint slithering operation and assault capability at the Sabarmati River Front. Though not an exercise, the demonstration is intended to showcase the operational synergy of both services’ tactical groups as part of “surgical strike” capabilities in enemy territory in a multi-domain environment.

In summation, the Indian Armed Forces conducted the following noteworthy activities in the western theatre:

• Indian Army validated its proactive operations doctrine via IBGs in the Western Command Theatre (alongside IAF in the case of 2 Corps) and a symbolic display of joint covert operations capability with MARCOS (Indian Navy) for DEFEXPO-22.
• IAF augmented the capability of its aircraft to participate with the Army and Indian Navy in striking targets across the land, air, and sea.
• Indian Navy tested (and reportedly validated) network-centric warfare capability across its Western Fleet to defend the seaboard and conduct asserts its capabilities, apart from symbolic power projection via aircraft carrier.

The Pakistan Armed Forces have not recently conducted any service-level, joint or tri-service drills near the Line of Control and international border, nor is India faced with an imminent operational threat from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the Western Indian Ocean. In this context, the extraordinary and continuous force posturing of the Indian Armed Forces across their western theatre is simply provocative.