New benchmarks set at IAF's Gaganshakti

NEW DELHI: All air platforms of the Indian Air Force (IAF) including fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters, AWACS, mid air refuelers, etc were pushed to the limits during the Gaganshakti Exercise that concluded Sunday, with every craft doing six sorties within a 24-hour cycle, much more than the normal two to three sorties in a day.

A top IAF source told this newspaper: “We set new benchmarks using all our air platforms old and new totaling 1,100 aircraft and conducted about 9,000 sorties in all. With more air platforms we can only do much better,” the official said underscoring the fact that the IAF desperately needs about 14 more fighter aircraft squadrons. At present, IAF operates about 31 fighter squadrons, with each squadron comprising 16-18 aircraft. Planned for the last none months, Gaganshakti is the most extensive and intense IAF exercise conducted since 1987 with the aims of “achieving perfect real time coordination, deployment and employment of air power in a short and intense battle scenario”. The exercise comprised two phases. Phase 1 involved activation of Western, South Western and Southern air commands from April 8-14 while Phase 2 activated Western, Central, Eastern and Southern commands. From April 17 to 22. Relocating forces to the new locations was completed within 48 hours. According to IAF sources, Gaganshakti was able to achieve 80 percent serviceability of aircraft while radars and surface to air guided weapons maintained a serviceability of 97 percent which included some legacy systems that were over 40 years old.