New Delhi: Amid the surcharged security scenario, post the Pahalgam attack, the Indian Navy and Air Force are conducting drills to hone up operational readiness.Keeping up pressure on Pakistan, the Navy is conducting exercises in the Arabian Sea in its exclusive economic zone and the Air Force is slated to undertake a crucial trial on Friday on an airstrip of the under-construction Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh.India has issued four notifications for naval firing in the coastal area off Gujarat coast from April 30-May 3. The coastal location is just 85-nautical miles from where Pakistan has issued notification for conducting its naval drills in the Arabian Sea. India has issued notification for firing at Porbandar, Dwarka, Okha and Diu.Later on Thursday, a rattled Pakistan issued another notification for naval and gun firing in the upper reaches of the Arabian sea from May 2-4. Indian warships are also on alert against any unusual activity. Indian Navy ships on Sunday had carried out multiple anti-ship firings to demonstrate readiness of platforms, systems and crew for long-range precision offensive strike.At the IAF trial on the 3.5-km airstrip Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, participating aircraft include the Rafale, SU-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar, C-130J Super Hercules, AN-32, and MI-17 V5 helicopter will undertake perform take-off and landing drills, including night operations, to assess the expressway’s viability as an alternative runway during emergencies.The airstrip is the first in India designed for both day and night fighter landings.Pakistan too has put its Army, Navy and Air Force on high alert following the Pahalgam terror attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told India’s military leadership that they have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.On the land border with India, the Pakistan Army is currently conducting large-scale military exercises in the regions of Sialkot, Narowal, Zafarwal, and Shakargarh, close to the Pakistan-India border. It has deployed Haider Main Battle Tank, Al-Khalid 1 and Al-Zarrar tanks for these exercises. SH-15 155mm wheeled howitzers and anti-armour strike elements too have been deployed in these military exercises.These exercises by the Pakistan military are apparently at testing the operational readiness of combined armsformations and reinforce defensive capabilities in high-threat zones, saidsources.Pakistani military has deployed radar systems and air defence weapon systems opposite the Longewala sector, and Barner in Rajasthan.Even, Pakistan Air Force is conducting three exercises: Fiza-e-Badr, Lalkar-e-Momin, and Zarb-e-Haidari. These exercises involve all major fighter aircraft fleets, including the F-16, J-10, JF-17 and the Saab airborne early warning and control systems aircraft.
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