South Western Command of the Indian Army, on Monday, conducted Integrated Fire Power Exercise, “SHATRUNASH’’ at MFFR in Thar desert of Rajasthan.

The exercise witnessed use of multifarious firing platforms in an integrated manner involving both ground & aerial maneuvers.

Various actions included insertion of troops, offensive ground actions involving comprehensive coordination incorporating contemporary technologies in a multi domain environment.

Real time communication and sharing of common operating picture amongst various participants to overcome emerging threats were practiced & skills were honed, according to Col Amitabh Sharma PRO Defence here.

The important facet of the exercise was employment of all resources including IAF & aviation assets in an integrated manner with combined arms approach to war fighting.  This was affected by exploiting versatile & indigenously manufactured long range aerial & ground vectors such as Advanced Light Helicopter (Weapon System Integrated), K9 – Vajra, Sharang Arty Guns, Bhishma (T-90 tanks) & Ajeya (T-72 tanks) to operate in a synergised manner based on the intelligence picture provided by well established Intelligence, Surveillance & Recce (ISR)  Architecture.

The devastating effect of fire power was visible at the target end along with the ground maneuvers executed by the mechanised forces.

Lauding the standard of training of troops, Lieutenant General A S Bhinder, General Officer Commanding In-Chief, Sapta Shakti Command appreciated the participation and synergy amongst various combat & combat support arms.

He also commended the exploitation of capability of indigenous platforms inducted as part of the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ or ‘Make in India’ initiative.  Furthermore, the General Officer Commanding In Chief reiterated the need to constantly explore new fighting methodology and enhancement of own capability to fight future wars.

The General Officer Commanding In Chief complimented all the participants for showcasing high standard of operational effectiveness & exhorted them to strive for highest standards of operational preparedness.