Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman takes stock of IAF's Gagan Shakti 2018 exercise

The Indian Air Force's Gagan Shakti 2018 exercise is the biggest in three decades and tests preparedness of pilots and ground staff in countering threats and conducting rescuse and relief operations.

This photo was tweeted by @IAF_MCC

Tezpur, Assam: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday visited the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh to inspect the Indian Air Force's Advanced Landing Ground at Pasighat there, a defence spokesman said here.

Sitharaman also visited the Chabua IAF base station in Assam's Dibrugarh to witness its Gagan Shakti Exercise 2018, a pan-India exercise which is in its second phase.

"The scale and scope of #GaganShakti2018 is enormous & like never-before. Given here are only glimpses. Kudos to @IAF_MCC, CAS Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and to all #AirWarriors. @DefenceMinIndia.

"Today at #GaganShakti2018. Appreciate the detail and exhaustive plan with which @IAF_MCC is executing this monumental exercise. Our #AirWarriors displayed agility& great team spirit," Sitharaman tweeted.

The minister inspected operations of SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft, C-17 Globemaster aircraft and rocket loading on Mi-17 V5 helicopters at Pasighat, defence spokesperson Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande said.

She also witnessed an assault drill by the IAF's Garud commandos.

The minister visited the Air to Ground weapons range at Dullong Mukh, where the strike package of Su-30 aircraft was displayed.

Mi-17 V5 Helicopters also demonstrated their strike capability delivering 80mm rockets on a simulated target, the spokesman said.

Sitharaman then visited Chabua, interacted with the air warriors and was also briefed on employment of Air Power in the defence of Eastern Sector, he said.

The defence minister has been visiting various air force establishments to gauge the operational capability and preparedness of the IAF.

Stating Exercise Gagan Shakti-2018 is a large scale IAF exercise which is currently in its second phase, he said the assets have now been deployed along the northern region and operations are taking place in full swing.