Indian Air Force launched large scale exercise

Indian Air Force launched a large scale exercise to show its power in a western state on Sunday, the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times reported on its website on Sunday evening.

The exercise ,code-named Vayu Shakti 2010, conducted at the Pokharan range of the western Indian state of Rajasthan by the Air Force to demonstrate its "day and night operational ability of air power," the newspaper quoted the defense officials as saying.

Nearly 100 aircraft participated in the exercise, including fighters like Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000 and MiG-29, Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWCS), Jaguar attackers, transport aircraft like IL-76, AN-32 and rotatory aircraft like Mi-17 transporters and Mi-35 armed helicopters, according to the report.

Indian fighters attacked the mocked ground targets at night by firing the precision guided weapons. It was the first time for the Air Force to display its large scale night precision striking capability, reported the newspaper.

In a first, the only newly-deployed AWACS monitored and coordinated the whole exercise.

President of India Pratibha Patil, Defense Minister A. K. Antony and the military attaches from about 30 countries watched the air-to-ground mocked attacks in the deserts of Pokharan.

Source:Xinhua