A fire power demonstration ‘Exercise Bharat Shakti’ will be held on March 12 at the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan to demonstrate the “prowess” of indigenously manufactured defence equipment of the three Services, the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, with particular focus on “jointness” and synergy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to witness the demonstration.
“The event will demonstrate the indigenous capability of the three Services through an integrated Tri-Service firepower and manoeuvre exercise for about 50 minutes. This event will be followed by a static equipment display,” Major General C.S. Mann, Additional Director General of the Army Design Bureau, briefing the media on Saturday, said.
Emphasising indigenous weapon systems, Maj. Gen. Mann said the announcement of ‘Make in India’ was a “watershed moment”, wherein the year 2020 brought about a paradigm shift with the launch of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign. “The campaign proved to be a catalyst for transformation in indigenous R&D, adoption of niche technology and establishment of indigenous manufacturing ecosystem, ushering in the manifestation of Bharat’s quest for self-reliance,” he said. “This is evident from the fact that the global share in Indian Armed Forces’ capability development projects has steadily declined, whereas the share of domestic component has increased considerably.”
Providing details on the live fire and manoeuvre demonstration, he said lethality and potency can be reached only when applied in synergy across multiple domains, brought to bear upon the envisaged threats, and Bharat Shakti would showcase “live integrated multi domain operations of the three Services in offensive operations using indigenous equipment”.
“It will showcase the shock and awe that the three Services seek to achieve in an operational situation by employing the manoeuvre and fighting capabilities effectively,” Maj. Gen. Mann said.
Broadly, It will also involve the establishment of the Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) grid, interdiction and shaping operations by aerial platforms, firing of long range vectors, manoeuvres by mechanised forces, and movement of the infantry in protected mobility vehicles.
The proceedings will commence with the Special Forces of the Army, MarCos of the Navy, and Garuds of the Indian Air Force infiltrating by all terrain vehicles and slithering operations, while surveillance of the battlefield will be carried out by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This will be followed by degradation of targets by long range fire power and artillery guns, Maj. Gen. Mann explained.
Further, the IAF will achieve a favourable air situation by engaging strategic targets in depth, whereas the Navy will undertake maritime operations for strategic effects, which will be undertaken at sea and showcased live on screens. Simultaneously, there will be tactical operations of the Indian Army, ending with the destruction of enemy armour.
“The aspects of India’s cyber and multi-domain operations capability are also being dovetailed along with operations of Army, Navy and Air Force. This exercise would showcase high synergy, multi-Service, multi-domain capability, thereby demonstrating inter-Service synergy,” Maj. Gen. Mann added.
Some major aspects of Tri-Service integration will be showcased in the demonstration, which include communications, Indigenous Geographical Information System for Tri-Services (IGIST) and eTarang, a software tool for management and optimal planning of defence spectrum.
The demonstration will include a wide range of technology domains, including aircrafts, helicopters, torpedoes, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and counter-UAVs, Artificial Intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics, armament, ammunition, communication systems, protection systems, alternate power solutions, 3D printed bunkers, operational logistics, and mobility and training simulators, among others.
