The Indian Air Force will carry out its biggest air exercise from September 4 to 27.
"Gagan Shakti [to be held over Punjab and the Thar Desert] is aimed at testing IAF's integration of new sensors and weapon systems and to validate new strategies that have been developed to address contemporary threats," IAF spokesman Wing Commander Mahesh Upasani said on Tuesday.
IAF's frontline fighter aircraft and multi-role combat aircraft SU-30MKI, Mirage-2000, deep penetration strike planes Jaguars and the recently acquired IL-78 mid-air refuellers will undertake air-to-air and air-to-ground manoeuvres during the 23-day exercise over the Western and South Western Air Commands.
Pakistan has been informed about the exercises as per the recent Confidence Building Measures signed by the two countries, IAF sources said.
The spokesman said that to validate the IAF's new war doctrine, the exercise will also witness the forces' space- based assets and operational networks, simulating a real time operational scenario.
Though the IAF has for the past few years been participating in bilateral exercises with foreign air forces, this will be the first exclusive IAF exercise in seven years.
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