An old adage states that armies are prepared to fight the last war. The Indian Army has displayed its intent and is now showing its capability to dominate the next one. The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza show how new age technologies such as drones and Artificial Intelligence are shaping wars of the future. The Indian Army has concluded on October 22 an integrated fire and maneuver exercise called Swavlamban Shakti at the Babina firing range near Jhansi.
Although the armed forces hold regular exercises at different levels to maintain its combat edge over the enemy, what makes this exercise different is the use of state-of-the-art indigenous technologies that were integrated in this large-scale fire and maneuver wargames.
The aim of the exercise was to focus on testing New Technology Equipment (NTE) from domestic industry and to see how the new technology can shape the future tactics, techniques and procedures.
Besides the 210 armoured vehicles, 50 specialist vehicles and multiple aviation assets the exercise showcased the operational use of swarm drones, kamikaze drones, logistics drones and handheld drone jammers that protect troops from this new airborne threat from the sky.
The exercise also showcased the use of ground based unmanned systems such as robotic mules and all-terrain vehicles. These vehicles can be used for scouting, logistics and casualty evacuation in war time conditions.
New age communication systems, which are virtually jam proof such as laser-based communications systems and software defined radio-based mobile network systems were also deployed in this exercise.
Over 40 industry partners such as DRDO, Tata Advanced Systems, Bharat Forge and many startups provided over 50 cutting-edge technologies that were tested under battlefield conditions, the army had also organized an event where domestic firms showcased their drones in the challenging high-altitude areas of Ladakh last month.
Team Bharatshakti
