Indian Army and IAF conducts joint military exercise ‘Winged Raider’
Military exercise
4 min read
The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force jointly conducted a comprehensive training exercise named EX Winged Raiders in the Eastern Theater. The exercise which was focused on special airborne operations was aimed to enhance inter-service synergy. The joint military exercise is part of the government of India's effort to push for interoperability leading to the setting up of an integrated theatre command in the country.
Interoperability in the military means the ability of the different wings of the armed forces to work together and use other weapon systems. This means that Indian Army personnel will gain expertise in operating the Indian Air Force weapons systems and vice versa.
The ‘Winged Raiders’ was conducted to test the interoperability of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
In the military, Theatre refers to a specific geographical area. These specific geographical areas could be either on land, sea, or air. The military expects these identified areas could potentially become areas of conflict or war in the future.
Feature of the ‘Winged Raiders’ Exercise
The exercise focused on special airborne operations and was conducted in the Eastern Theater of the Indian Army.
During the exercise, the personnel of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force rehearsed various airborne insertion techniques from both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. During the exercise, the Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force was also used to conduct special airborne operations.
The exercise helped the troops to enhance their expertise in operations, essential for rapid deployment and mission readiness. The exercise will strengthen and enhance the Indian armed force’s skills in rapid deployment through airborne operations.
Historic flight of Army and IAF Chief in Tejas
The Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh flew together in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on the eve of Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru on 9 February 2025.
This was the first time that the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force Chief flew together in an LCA.
The 15th edition of the Aero India show is being held at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 10-14 February 2025.
Also Read: Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru to host 15th Aero India 2025
