Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Dakshin Prahar comes to a close

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dakshin Prahar, the week-long multi-role exercise conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF), concluded on Monday.

Dozens of combat aircraft belonging to the IAF, including the Sukhoi-30, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar, simulated air strikes and interceptions over long aerial ranges using air-to-air refuelling facilities and off-base operations. The Southern Air Command headquartered here coordinated the operations.

The exercise demonstrated state-of-the-art weapon technology, including Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, modern avionics and air defence systems. Logistical support was provided by the mammoth IL-76 aircraft, AN-32 transport aircraft and MI-8 helicopters. Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) were also deployed.

Dakshin Prahar was conducted in two phases in Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad.

One of its objectives was to operationalise the concept of Flexi Airspace that involves close coordination to ensure that combat operations do not lead to disruption of civilian flights. The IAF and the Airports Authority of India worked in tandem to coordinate air traffic.

“It is the first time that civil-military air traffic was coordinated for simultaneous activity on such a large scale,” a pressnote issued by the Defence wing of the Press Information Bureau said.

During the course of the combat exercise, SU-30 interceptor aircrafts operating from Gujarat and northwestern Rajasthan were used to engage ‘intruders’ thousands of miles away on the Minicoy islands and in Hyderabad. The ‘enemy’ planes operated from Thiruvananthapuram, Vishakhapatnam and Arakkonam.

The radar consoles of the AAI located at Begumpet and Bangalore detected the hostile activity and alerted flight controllers at the Air Defence Direction Centres.

IL-78 air refuellers were launched from Nagpur and Goa to fill up the SU-30s for the gruelling seven-hour supersonic flight. The interceptors locked on to one of the enemy planes with their BVR missiles to finish it off, while the other intruder was chased off.

The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard also lent support by providing their resources and infrastructure at various locations.

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