Photo Gallery: SCO nations perform live firing exercise

The Indian Army on Tuesday took part in heliborne operations and live fire drills as part of the SCO 2018 joint military exercises in Russia’s Chebarkul. The Indian contingent is part of the joint counterterrorism exercises being held for members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The Indian Army contingent carried out Specialised Heliborne Operation (SHBO) off a Russian military helicopter. The Images indicate the mission was aimed at neutralising a terrorist unit.

Armoured and Mechanised units of the Indian Army’s also took part in live fire drills jointly with the other participating contingents. The joint operation responded to a counterterrorism environment.

Both the Specialised Heliborne Operation and the live fire exercise were carried out at the Russian military’s 255 Services Ranges near Chebarkul in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Oblast. The Indian military is being represented by a contingent of 200 personnel, of whom 33 are Indian Air Force personnel.

The SCO 2018 are seeing contingents from Russia, China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and India take part in the military exercises, which are held once in two years. This is the first time that India and Pakistan are taking part in the exercises, since their inclusion in the regional security grouping in 2017.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a security grouping that was established by the countries with a presence in the Central Asian region with the stated aim of creating a security platform that devotes special focus to counterterrorism. The region, with its proximity to Pakistan and Afghanistan, has seen a handful of insurgencies and attacks, and is perceived to be vulnerable to the spread of extremist and radical ideologies from the terror factory region.