IAF to Conduct High-Intensity Border Drill with Rafales, Sukhois on May 7–8; NOTAM Issued

According to ANI, citing sources from the Indian Air Force (IAF), the IAF will conduct a high-intensity aerial exercise over the desert sector and adjacent areas along the western border starting Wednesday. This will be a two-day mega military exercise.

The aerial drill will coincide with the Government of India's civil defence mock exercises to be done on May 7 across the country.

The IAF exercise will include a broad spectrum of India's airpower, including its frontline fighter jets, including Rafales, Mirage 2000s, and Sukhoi-30 MKIs along the International Border in Rajasthan, according to IAF officials.

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For this purpose, the government initiated a large scale air exercise in the southern sector of the Indo-Pakistan border and issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), PTI quoting Government sources said.

According to Defence sources, the operation aims to explore and test the IAF's readiness for combat, timelines, and coordination in a simulated hostile environment, and to evaluate performance in day and night flying operations.

Meanwhile, the residents of villages located along the India-Pakistan border in Barmer district of Rajasthan reiterated their strong support of the Indian Army and expressed their readiness to support the Indian Army in any way possible.

The Union Home Ministry has directed some states to carry out an aerial mock drill on May 7 in efforts to improve the effectiveness of civil defence.

The measures to be taken are to operationalise Air Raid Warning Sirens and to train civilians, school children, and others in order to educate on Civil Defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack.

These security drills are taking place at a time when the country is at an advanced state of alertness following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 civilians and heightening tensions with Pakistan.

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After the terror attack took place in Pahalgam, India took its own strong measures against Pakistan for abiding and supporting cross border terrorism.

India had decided to place on hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably cease to support cross-border terrorism and close that similar integrated Attari Check Post.

It also imposed a immediate ban on direct or indirect import and transit of all goods from or originating from Pakistan, in or out of the country, irrespective of the goods of import status, indicating the full stop of all flows of bilateral trade in which follows in a Ministry of Commerce and Industry notification.

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