Indian Navy undertook mission-based deployments in Areas of Interest in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to safeguard national maritime interests and maintain continuous/ near continuous presence in areas of significant maritime importance in the IOR. These deployments were in consonance with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’. IN ships and aircraft were regularly deployed in the Gulf of Oman/ Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden/ Red Sea, South and Central IOR, off Sunda Strait, Andaman Sea/ approaches to Malacca Strait and Northern Bay of Bengal. These deployments facilitated enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness, swift Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to IOR littorals, security to Indian and international maritime community and operational engagements with friendly navies through capability development and capacity building programmes.

Anti-Piracy Patrol in Gulf of Aden commenced in 2008 to ensure safe passage of IFMVs. 107 IN ships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden since commencement of patrols in 2008.

Maritime Security Operation code-named Op Sankalp in the Gulf Region commenced in 2019 to ensure safe passage of IFMVs transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. Since June 2019, IN has deployed 41 warships and escorted approximately 624 Lakh Tons of cargo onboard 503 IFMVs.

In 2023, Indian Navy, has intercepted huge heroin shipments in the Arabian Sea. On May 10, 2023 an Anti-Narcotics Operation (ANO) lead to seizure of 2500 kg of contraband worth Rs. 12,000 Cr.  Since April 2021, 12 such operations have been undertaken by the IN. Narcotics worth Rs. 29000 Cr (approx. 3.5 Bn Dollars) has been seized over six operations in last three years.

P8I aircraft from INS Hansa, Goa was deployed in Northern Sector for surveillance on various occasions in support of Army/ Air Force tasking. Such deployments ensure seamless operability between all three forces and encourages jointmanship.

A Naval Special Warfare exercise off Carnic, was conducted on September 21, 2023 which included twin Air Droppable Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (ADR) drop in tandem with Combat Free Fall (CFF).

The IN undertook its maiden operations with both the carriers in company off Goa in Early June 2023. The Western Naval Command enabled the embarkation of the largest number of carrier-borne aircraft, which included 20 helicopters of various types. These included the indigenously manufactured ALH MK III helicopters and the recently inducted, MH 60R. The event was a potent demonstration of IN’s fast-growing blue water capability and gained considerable attention from national and international media.

IN Submarine Vagir, was deployed for Long Range Deployment to Fremantle, Australia wef July 24, 2023. The submarine crew interacted with the Australian Naval representatives during OTRs at Fremantle (August 20 – 23, 2023 and August 25 – 28, 2023). The submarine returned to Visakhapatnam in early October 2023.

The Test Vehicle Abort mission (TV-D1) was launched on October 21, 2023 from Satish Dhavan Space Centre (SDSC), Shriharikota. The aim of TV-D1 launch was to validate the efficiency of Crew Escape System (CES) during an emergency abort condition while the crew module is within atmospheric limits. Post launch and successful ejection, recovery of Crew Module and recording of the launch (as required by ISRO) was successfully undertaken by IN. INS Shakti recovered the crew module which was later disembarked at Chennai. The video of crew module decent phase was also live streamed to SDSC. Assets deployed for the mission included three IN ships (Shakti, Gharial and Battimalv), SCI Saraswati, one HALE UAV and a Chetak Helicopter.

Naval Exercises

IN’s Theatre Readiness Operational Level Exercise (TROPEX), a major biennial exercise, was conducted across the Indian Ocean Region from January to February, 2023. Intense operations by more than 150 warships, submarines and aircraft, with significant participation of other Services, were conducted. The exercise culminated with a debrief at Kochi.

Tri-Services Amphibious Exercise (AMPHEX 23) was conducted at Naval Enclave Kakinada, with Visakhapatnam as the mounting base. This edition of the exercise was the largest in terms of force levels from Indian Army, with over 800 troops (being the maximum participation till date). Further, loading of large number of A and B type vehicles was also undertaken, which was the highest thus far in any AMPHEX.

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IN Sailing Vessel Tarini was deployed for Open Sea Sailing Expedition wef 22 Nov 22 with a crew of five (including 02 Women Officers). Tarini successfully completed a 17,000 Nm trans-ocean inter-continental voyage to South Africa and South America (Cape to Rio Race). A grand Flag-in ceremony for the crew of INSV Tarini was conducted at INS Mandovi on May 23, 2023, with Shri Pramod Sawant,   Chief Minister of Goa, as the Chief Guest. Smt Smriti Irani, the Union Minister of Women and Child Welfare, accompanied by CNS, also graced the occasion.

Exercises with Friendly Countries

IN ships Kolkata, Sahyadri and P8I participated in the 31st edition of Exercise MALABAR 23 scheduled at/off Sydney, Australia from August 11 to 23, 2023, along with ships and aircraft from US Navy, JMSDF and RAN. MALABAR 23 was conducted in two phases viz the Harbour Phase (August 11-15, 2023) encompassing cross deck visit, pre-sail conferences and delegation visits, followed by the Sea Phase (August 16-21, 2023) comprising various surface, sub-surface and air exercises involving units from all participating countries. The ships also participated in the 77th Independence Day Celebrations at Sydney, Australia.

IN ships Chennai and Teg, along with aircraft (MiG 29K, P8I, Dornier, ALH and Sea King), participated in the 21st edition of Exercise Varuna – 23 with French Navy Carrier Strike Group (comprising Charles De Gaulle, Forbin, Provence and Marne), alongwith maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 off Goa from January 15 to 20, 2023. Subsequently, the FN ships Charles De Gaulle, Forbin and Provence entered Goa, while Marne entered Mumbai for the Harbour Phase of the Exercise. French aircraft Atlantique, A330 MRTT and A400M operated from INS Hansa, Goa.

IN ships Sahyadri and Jyoti participated in the 3rd edition of the Multilateral Exercise La Perouse conducted in Southern Bay of Bengal from March 13 to 14, 2023. Eight warships from six countries (Australia, India, France, Japan, UK and USA) participated in the exercise.

Sea Dragon is a multilateral Air ASW exercise conducted by US Navy. IN P8I aircraft participated in the 5th edition of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Theatre Exercise Sea Dragon 23 conducted at Guam, USA from March 15 to 29, 2023. Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from four countries (USA, Japan, Canada and South Korea) and USS Hampton (Los Angeles Class SSN) participated in the exercise.

IN Ship Trishul and Dornier aircraft participated in the annual bilateral maritime exercise Konkan 23 with Royal Navy ship HMS Lancaster off Mumbai from March 20 to 22, 2023. Both ships undertook multiple maritime drills to enhance interoperability and imbibe best practices. The exercises covered all domains of maritime operations viz air, surface and sub-surface.

IN ships Delhi and Satpura, alongwith P8I aircraft, participated in the maiden ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME) and International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) conducted at Singapore from May 02 to 08, 2023.

INS Sumedha participated in Multilateral Tri-Services Exercise Bright Star 23 conducted in the Mediterranean Sea from 6 to 13 Sep 23. The Exercise was conducted in two phases, Harbour phase and Sea phase.

IN and USN have been participating in a combined Salvage exercise since 2005. Seventh edition of IN – USN Diving, Salvage and EOD exercise (SALVEX) was conducted from June 26 June to 6 July 2023 at Kochi. For the duration of the exercise, USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) made port call at Kochi.

IN Ships Savitri and Kiltan participated in India – Sri Lanka bilateral exercise SLINEX 23 with Sri Lankan Navy ships SLNS Vijaybahu and Samudura at/ off Colombo, Sri Lanka from 3 to 8 April 2023. IN-SLN SF exercise was also conducted as part of SLINEX 23 from 3 to 6 April  2023 at Colombo, Sri Lanka.

INS Kavaratti, along with one Dornier aircraft participated in the 4th edition of Exercise Samudra Shakti 23 conducted at Batam, Indonesia from 15 to 19 May 2023.

IN ships Tarkash and Subhadra, alongwith one Dornier aircraft, participated in bilateral exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi conducted at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, from 21 to 25 May 2023. Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) ships Badr, Abdul Aziz and two HIS-32 FACs, one Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), MH60R helicopter and Karayel UAV participated in the exercise.

INS Tarkash participated in the maiden India-France-UAE trilateral exercise with FS Surcouf and Maritime Patrol Aircraft ex-UAE in Gulf of Oman from 6 to 8 June 2023.

Maiden India-France-UAE trilateral PASSEX was conducted from 7 to 8 June 2023, off Gulf of Oman. INS Tarkash, FS Surcouf and UAE Navy helicopter (Panther) participated in the exercise.

INS Satpura participated in the fourth edition of Multilateral Naval Exercise KOMODO-23 conducted at Makassar, Indonesia, from 4 to 8 June 2023. The exercise saw the participation of navies from 36 countries and was conducted between Borneo and Sulawesi.

The 5th edition of AUSINDEX was conducted from 22 to 25 August 2023 at/ off Sydney, Australia. IN Ships Sahyadri and Kolkata participated in the exercise, along with HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane from RAN. In addition to the ships and their integral helos, the exercise also witnessed participation of fighters and Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

IN ships Ranvijay and Kavaratti, alongwith submarine Sindhukesari and P8I aircraft, participated in the 30th edition of SIMBEX-23, with Singapore Navy ships Stalwart, Valour, submarine Invincible and Fokker aircraft at/ off Singapore from 20 to 27 September 2023.

Assistance to Foreign Govts

INS Tarmugli was handed over to Maldives on 2 May 2023 towards capability building. The ship was re-commissioned into Maldivian Navy as MCGS Huravee. The handing over ceremony was attended by the RM. Further one Landing Craft Assault (LCA) was also handed over to Maldives.

INS Kirpan was decommissioned and handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) on 22 July 2023 at Cam Ranh, Vietnam in the presence of CNS and RAdm Pham Manh Hung, Deputy C-in-C & Chief of Staff, VPN. CNS also visited VPN Headquarters at Hai Phong for bilateral interaction with Vice Adm Tran Thanh Nghiem, C-in-C, VPN. The transfer of ex-Kirpan symbolises the status of IN as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the IOR and would be a catalyst for enhancing the existing bilateral relations between the two navies.

Towards providing assistance to friendly foreign nations, IN is undertaking refits of MCGS Victory from Mauritius. Further, INS Sharda undertook towing operation to tow MCGS Victory from Port Louis, Mauritius to Visakhapatnam.

A Tri-Services Scoping Delegation was deputed to Suriname in July 2023 to identify and evaluate the requirement of Surinamese Armed Forces. On the Naval front, technical assistance to undertake repairs of six Patrol Craft was highlighted by the Suriname side and accordingly, suitable technical team is planned to be deputed.

A five member IN Technical Team was deputed to Sri Lanka in February 2023 to assess the existing Trials Team infrastructure of Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) and indicate measures in setting-up of Trials Unit of SLN akin to IN units. As a follow-up of the visit, IN is conducting customised courses for SLN in India, as per the request of SLN. Further, spares worth Rs 1.7 cr were gifted to SLN, towards ensuring optimal availability of GoI gifted ships.

Indian Navy has progressed WSIE agreements with 25 countries and one multinational construct, till date. While such agreements with several other friendly foreign countries are being progressed, a WSIE agreement was concluded with Tanzania on 9 October 2023.

aIN ships Tir, Sujata and CGS Sarathi as part of 1st Training Squadron, whilst on overseas deployment, were utilised to provide assistance to Mauritius and Seychelles besides enhancing foreign cooperation

HADR & SAR operations

‘Operation Kaveri’ was executed towards evacuating Indian nationals from Sudan owing to military clashes between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Force (RSF). In order to contribute to the national effort for evacuating Indian nationals from Sudan, three mission deployed IN ships viz Teg, Tarkash and Sumedha, with HADR items and medical teams, were diverted to Red Sea. In a challenging mission, in the absence of any support infrastructure ashore, Sumedha, the first ship to arrive, entered the war zone and undertook Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations. Thereafter, various multi national forces including China, France, USA and UK also undertook alongside evacuation. A total of 1490 Indian nationals were evacuated by three IN ships.

ALSO READ: DEFENCE REVIEW 2023 – IAF Operations and Exercises

In the aftermath of devastation caused by Severe Cyclonic Storm Mocha off Sittwe, Myanmar, on 14 May 2023, India launched Operation Karuna, as part of Mission SAGAR, to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material to Myanmar. Four IN ships namely Shivalik, Kamorta, Savitri and Gharial, were deployed to Yangon, Myanmar for transhipment of HADR items from 18 to 20 May 2023.

P8I aircraft was launched on a benign mission on 17 and 18 May 2023 for search of Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028. P8I sighted the capsized CFV Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 and a life raft. The positions were relayed to PLA(N) 44th APEF operating in the area. This was the first occasion in which an IN aircraft provided SAR assistance to a Chinese vessel.

During the year, the Indian Navy provided assistance to civil authorities for fire fighting, SAR and humanitarian assistance.

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VVIP Ops by B-777 Aircraft: IAF took over independent VVIP operations on B-777 ac wef 31 Mar 23. As a milestone achievement, IAF undertook nonstop flight from Delhi to New York with full cockpit complement by IAF and further on to Washington and Cairo. In addition to the aircrew, ground handling, catering uplift and engineering support services were also independently handled by IAF.

Para Trials & Ops: ADRDE is developing HDS for C-130J and C-17 aircraft under Technology Demonstration mode. Post CEMILAC certification and fitment trials, out of total eight trials sorties approved for HDS (12 Ft Platform), seventh HDS trial was conducted on 17 Oct 23 at Mahajan Field Firing Range (MFFR). Trial was successful and load landed safely at the designated landing point.

ADR & CRCC Trials from C-17 ac: Flight trials for Single/Twin ADR (Air Droppable Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) and CRRC (Combat Rubberised Raiding Craft) were successfully completed on C-17 ac in the month of Sep 23, in coordination with Indian Navy and ISRO (Toroidal Buoy Equipment).

Akash Missile System: Three squadrons of Akash missile system, employing advanced Rajendra Mk-II radars has been commissioned in the last one year. Additional Akash Sqns are likely to be inducted by Dec 23.

HERON MKII: Heron Mk II RPA has been inducted and operationalised in Indian Air Force. The system is capable of undertaking SATCOM based operations along with advanced sensors and avionics suite. The payload is more capable and can locate targets in depth in enemy territory. The induction has boosted the IAF’s capability to undertake ISR missions beyond Line of sight ranges at higher altitude of operations.

Bison (MiG 21 Upgrade) Drawdown Plan: The drawdown plan has been approved and re-equipping of one operational squadron having this ac, with Su-30 MKI has commenced. Re-equipping of one more squadron with the ingenious Tejas LCA MK-IA, has been announced.

Integration of Weapons: The New Generation Close Combat Missile was fired for the first time this year. Long Range SCALP missiles were also fired and validated. Apache Attack Heptrs also carried out successful firing of Stinger Msl against an airborne slow moving target. IAF is working towards induction of indigenous Astra entire long range BVR missile, which is likely to commence shortly.

Long Range Mission: Long Range Missions were undertaken deep into the IOR. These missions were flown along multiple axes to cover the IAF’s area of interest to control the sea and dominate the air space.

Training and Exercises

The IAF continued to train hard this year exercising not only with sister services for enhancing jointness, but also with Air Forces of friendly foreign countries. Listed below are a few:

Ex Veer Guardian-23: Held in the period 12-27 Jan 23, this was the first air exercise between India and Japan.

Ex PASSEX with France: On 29 Jan 23, the IAF conducted ‘Ex PASSEX’ with French fighter aircraft sailing onboard the aircraft carrier ‘Charles De Gaulle’ in the IOR.

Ex Desert Flag-8 in UAE: IAF participated in ‘Ex Desert Flag-8’ in Al-Dhafra, UAE from 24 Feb-20 Mar 23. This was the first ever participation by the Tejas in an international air exercise.

Ex Cobra Warrior-23: IAF participated in multinational Air Exercise ‘Ex Cobra Warrior-23’ in UK from 06-24 Mar 23. This exercise saw IAF aircraft staging through Saudi Arabia for the first time.

Ex Cope India-23: The USAF and the IAF participated in ‘Ex Cope India-23’ at AFS Kalaikunda (fighters) and Panagarh (transport aircraft) from 10-21 Apr 23. The Japan Air & Self Defence Force participated with one observer.

Ex Orion-23: IAF participated in multinational exercise ‘Ex Orion-23’ in France from 17 Apr – 05 May 23. The exercise saw the IAF’s Rafale aircraft ferrying directly from France to India.

Ex INIOCHOS-23: IAF participated in a multinational exercise ‘Ex Iniochos-23’ in Greece from 24 Apr – 05 May 23. This was the first Air Exercise between India and Greece.

Ex Bright Star-23.   IAF took part in Ex Bright Star-23 with Egypt from 27 Aug -16 Sep 23. The IAF’s MiG-29 fighters ferried directly from India to Egypt.

Integrated Exercises and Joint Training

The following training exercises were conducted with sister services, aimed at increasing joint capabilities:-

Ex Kranti Mahotsav from 08 May 23 to 10 May 23 with 01 MLH.

Exercise Ex Chakra Drishti-23 from 10 May 23 to 12 May 23 with Fighter, RPA and AEW&C.

IAF participated in EWT of 33 Armd, 16 Rapid, 6(I) Armd Bde and 47          Engr Bde from 08 May 23 to 27 May 23 wherein IAF’s Helicopters operated       along with IA.

Exercise Western Command Theatre Spl Ops validation from 10 to 25 May 23 and Helicopters along with Transport aircraft. It also witnessed     RPA and fighter operations.

Exercise 2 Corps EWT on 23 – 24 May 23 with Su-30MKI.

Exercise Long range Maritime strike over Western seaboard on 02 Jun 23 with fighters, transport and AWACS.

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

International HADR Ops.

Op Dost – HADR at Turkiye and Syria: The Middle East nation of Turkiye and adjoining Syria were struck by a catastrophic earthquake on the morning of 6 Feb 23. The IAF was immediately alerted and a prompt aid and assistance was launched under ‘Operation Dost’. The first C-17 aircraft got airborne from Hindan for Adana, Turkiye at the midnight of 7 Feb 23. Subsequently, four more C-17 aircraft followed suite, while one C-130J aircraft was tasked with 5.8 tons of medical load to Damascus, Syria. The operations continued with the final de-induction on 20 Feb 23. The IAF transport fleet flew 28 sorties (188 hrs) and carried 307 tons of load, of which 278 tons load was airlifted for Turkey and 29 T for Syria.

Op Kaveri – HADR at Sudan: The break out of hostilities between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Force (RSF) in Sudan had resulted in stranding of approximately 4000 Indian nationals and PIOs. On extremely short notice, IAF air operations towards evacuation of Indian diaspora commenced on 19 Apr 23. C-130J and C-17 were tasked for the ops with Garud SF teams onboard, in the event of special ops if required. Initial rescue missions were flown from Jeddah to Port Sudan. Subsequently, on 27 Apr 23, in a daring night operation, IAF aircraft rescued 121 Indians from a small airstrip at Wadi Seyidna airport. While the crew used Electro Optical-Infra Red to evade obstructions and inimical forces, ERO (Engine Running Ops) plan was carried out when Garud commandos operated on ground. The total flying effort by the IAF was 22 sorties (115 hrs), airlifting 2100 passengers from Sudan to Jeddah and 915 passengers from Jeddah to India, in addition to 58 tons of critical load.

Op Ajay (Israel – Hamas Conflict): Towards Op Ajay, first IAF C-17 aircraft was launched on 22 Oct 23 in support of Palestinian citizens affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. IAF C-17 airlifted 6.5 tons of medical relief items and 32 tons of disaster relief material including essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities and water purification tablets among other necessary items. The medical relief was delivered at Al-Arish, Egypt to the Red Crescent, for onward distribution in Gaza.

HADR Ops – Nepal: On 03 Nov 23, a devastating earthquake struck Nepal, resulting in heavy loss of life and property. Relief aid was planned to be inducted close to the affected areas in Nepal, resulting in operations on short runway airfields like Nepalganj. IAF C-130J aircraft inducted NDRF relief equipment and HLL medicinal payload at Nepalganj on 5-6 Nov 23. As a first responder, essential medical cum hygiene supplies, tents, and other relief materials were provided for earthquake affected families. The IAF C-130J aircraft undertook day/ night operations at Nepalganj, and flew 02 sorties, airlifting 21 tons of relief load.

Domestic HADR Operations

HADR Ops – UT of Ladakh: In Feb 23, IAF heptrs served as a vital link in the UT of Ladakh when the roads saw a heavy blockage due to snow activity. Heptrs sprang into operations on 15 Feb 23 for airlift of stranded passengers from Zanskar to Leh. The task was carried out by Chinook and MI-17 1V helicopters wherein 200 passengers were airlifted.

Disaster Relief Ops (Forest Fire) at Goa: On 08 Mar 23 Govt of Goa requested IAF to provide aid towards dousing forest fires at far flung areas in the state. Mi-17 V5 helicopters deployed for the task undertook massive ops. In 20 sorties, the heptrs dispensed 1, 40,000 litres of water by 14 Mar 23.

Disaster Relief Ops (Forest Fire) at Tamil Nadu: On 15 Apr 23, Govt of Tamil Nadu requested IAF effort towards dousing forest fire in Madukkarai range of Coimbatore (Tamilnadu).  MI-17 V5 helicopter deployed for the ops dispensed 22, 450 litres of water on 16 Apr 23.

Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Himachal Pradesh: In response to damages caused by monsoon triggered cloud bursts, flash floods and landslides in Himachal, IAF deployed Mi-17 V5 and Cheetal helicopters. Rescue ops were carried out in Chandratall and Samundar Tapu Axis. IAF inserted disaster relief crew and air dropped ration, medicines and essential supplies. The relief operations which started on 11 Jul 23 continued till 30 Sep 23. 68 tons of relief material and 1355 citizens were airlifted in 275 sorties (138 hrs).

Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Ambala: In the second week of Jul 23, several villages around Ambala (Punjab) were affected by severe floods. From 14 to 17 Jul 23, one Mi-17 helicopter was tasked towards disaster relief operation, which carried out airdrop of critical sustenance ration to the affected citizens. 10 sorties were flown airlifting 10 tons of relief material and 14 personnel.

Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Yavatmal: On 22 Jul 23, one MI-17 V5 helicopter was launched from Raipur, which undertook five sorties towards rescue of villagers marooned in Yavatmal village of Maharashtra.

Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Telangana: From 27 to 30 Jul 23, two Chetak helicopters were deployed at Warangal for flood relief operations. While the heptrs rescued seven personnel, 25 sorties (22 hrs) were flown towards the ops.

Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Sikkim: Several districts of Sikkim were severely affected by the flash floods on 4 Oct 23. HADR operation centre was set up at Bagdogra. Helicopter were positioned as per the requirement projected by the State Govt. IAF deployed helicopters from almost all the fleets, including Chinook to undertake the disaster relief. The IAF helicopters undertook 287 sorties (125 hrs), airlifting 205 tons of load. 3027 personnel were evacuated by the helicopters, which included foreign nationals from Thailand, Belgium, Russia, Bangladesh and America.

Tunnel Rescue Ops at Uttarakhand: A portion of the under construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand collapsed on 12 Nov 23 trapping 41 construction workers. On 15 Nov 23, IAF deployed three C-130J aircraft to airlift 27.5 tonnes of critical heavy equipment, rescue loads and rescue experts to Dharasu ALG that was not in use since 2013. Between 17 and27 Nov 23, heavy Augur machinery from Indore, DRDO robots from Pune and drill bit and metal wire load from Mumbai were airlifted to Dehradun. On 29 Nov 23, Chinook helicopter airlifted all 41 rescued workers to AIIMS Rishikesh. The tasks were successfully carried out with minimal notice utilising C-130, C-17, Dornier, AN-32 and Chinook. The IAF aircraft operated over 79 hours lifting 104 tons of load.

Nation Building & Internal Security

Manipur situation: On the directions from MoD, IAF deployed its transport and helicopter assets towards airlift and deployment of CRPF, BSF, Indian Army and Assam rifles teams with load from Hindan, Ranchi, Kolkata, Agartala, Kumbhigram, Guwahati and Mohanbari to Imphal to assist in containing the situation in Manipur. The ops by IAF which started on 23 May 23 continued till 25 Sep 23. 10,120 troops and 652 tons of relief material were airlifted in 605 sorties (399 hrs).

Haryana situation: IAF deployed C-130, C-17 and IL-76 aircraft for airlift and deployment of CRPF and RAF troops to contain the situation in Nuh, Haryana. Overnight operations (18 sorties/18.5 hrs) achieved airlift and deployment of 824 troops (with 58 tons load) from Jammu, Prayagraj and Hindan.

G-20 Task: IAF helicopters were extensively utilised for various operational tasks towards G-20 summit in September. The assets were utilised for ORP duties, DIADC duty, CASEVAC / Emergency response and NSG tasks.

Elections-Chhattisgarh: IAF was tasked to provide air effort to the election officials during the Chhattisgarh assembly elections held in November. IAF Mi-17 helicopters carried out 404 sorties amounting to 194 hrs of air effort. 1,707 personnel and 15 tons of load including polling parties and EVMs were airlifted.

PM Kedarnath Redevelopment Project: Since 31 Oct 22, IAF has tasked one Chinook helicopter on regular operations towards “PM Kedarnath redevelopment project”. Till 31 Mar 23, under slung operations could result in airlift of 575 tons of load against the initial projected load of 500 tons. As on 12 Nov 23, 866 tons had been airlifted towards the project.

RLV Trials: IAF provided its helicopters to progress the scientific cause of ISRO. Chinook heptr flew 25 sorties towards ISRO RLV trials at Chitradurga for testing of load in under slung mode on 02 Apr 23.

Digitisation

Dedication of e-MMS: In line with the Government’s initiatives for digital transformation, IAF has migrated to digital workflows for recording of maintenance activities through e-Maintenance Management System. All maintenance activities of the IAF have been declared paperless by the Raksha Mantri in February during Aero India 2023. The IAF is also progressing cases for implementing e-MMS for nine fleets from the Indian Army, Navy & Coast Guard.

Digitisation of THD-1955 Radar: THD-1955 radar has been the main stay AD Radar in IAF since 1976. To meet the operational commitment, the THD-1955 radar fleet is planned to be utilised in service till 2035. Presently, due to ageing of the fleet, obsolescence and depleting vendor supports, THD-1955 radar fleet is facing significant challenges towards its maintenance and sustenance for operations. To address these issue, BEL has come up with a proposal to digitise the Receiver and Transmitter cabinets along with upgrade of IFF systems of radar.

Bio-jet Fuel Trials on Do-228 Aircraft: Post successful completion of ground run and test flight, RCMA (Kanpur) accorded FCN for Biojet fuel trials on 21 Sep 23. The first sortie for two hrs with 10% blended fuel on one engine was successfully flown on 22 Sep 23. Two sorties with 10% blended fuel on both engines was flown for four hrs on 26 Sep 23. Third sortie was flown on 27 Sep 23. The trials on Do-228 aircraft using 10:90 admixtures of Bio-jet fuel with ATF were successfully completed at 5 BRD on 28 Sep 23. Additional 6,000 Ltrs of Bio-jet fuel is under procurement which would be used in next phase of trials.

Development of Airfield at Nyoma, Ladakh: To enhance the operational reach of IAF in the Northern Sector, Government sanction to develop a new Air Base at a cost of ₹219.39 Crore was accorded in March 2023. e-Shilanyas of the airfield was performed by   RM on 12 Sep 23 from Jammu. Construction of runway is in progress and the works services are planned to be completed by April 2025.

Real Time Aircraft Tracking System (RTATS). The feasibility of RTATS with the help of equipment provided by ISRO, using Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) satellites is reaching fructification. Series modification on AN-32 will start soon. While trials on MLH are underway later to be followed by AVRO & Do-228 in due course.

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