Army conducts drone and counter-drone exercise in desert sector

New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) The Indian Army has conducted a drone and counter-drone exercise, focused on developing and testing doctrinal precepts for their operations strengthening the force's response capability against evolving aerial threats, officials said on Saturday.

The exercise, 'Vayu Sananvay-II', was held on October 28-29 in the forward areas of the desert sector under the Pune-based Southern Command.

"The exercise was designed to validate the Indian Army's preparedness for next-generation warfare by integrating various aerial and ground assets, and fusion of multi-domain command and control centres in a realistic, electronic warfare and contested operational environment," the defence ministry said.

The two-day exercise focused on developing and testing doctrinal precepts for drone and counter-drone operations, "strengthening the Indian Army's response capability against evolving aerial threats", it said in a statement.

The desert terrain and weather conditions provided an ideal testing ground for the operations. The exercise also showcased joint interoperability between the various arms of the Army, reinforcing coordination for technology-enabled operations in the "sensitive frontier regions".

The exercise enabled troops to experiment with indigenous technologies under an operational environment, the officials said.

Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, complimented the success of the exercise.

Lessons from it will directly contribute to capability development and accelerated induction of drone and counter-drone systems in the Army, the statement said.

The exercise is a significant step in the Army's efforts to embrace modern technology in a multi domain environment. "The Indian Army remains committed to modernising its operational capability, fostering innovation and ensuring readiness to counter emerging threats across all domains," the statement said.

This exercise reaffirms the Army's vision to build a technology-driven, agile, and future-ready force capable of "dominating the evolving battlespace," it added. PTI KND ARI