Tri-service exercise ‘Bharat Shakti’ to demonstrate prowess of indigenously manufactured equipment
- March 10, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Tri-service exercise ‘Bharat Shakti’ to demonstrate prowess of indigenously manufactured equipment
Subject: Science and tech
Section: Defence
Context:
- The integrated tri-service exercise ‘Bharat Shakti’ at Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on March 12 will showcase the shock and awe, maneuver and fighting capabilities of the armed forces.
More on news:
- Mega exercise ‘Bharat Shakti’ to be held at Pokhran on March 12 is expected to be witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the top military brass and will showcase the “shock and awe” impact that the armed forces seek to achieve in an operational situation with maneuver and fighting capabilities.
About Bharat Shakti:
- ‘Bharat Shakti’ will demonstrate the prowess of indigenously manufactured defense equipment of the three services.
- The proceedings will commence with the Army’s Special Forces, MARCOS of the Indian Navy and GARUDS of the Indian Air Force.
- The integrated tri-service firepower and maneuver exercise at Pokhran will be held for about 50 minutes.
- LCA Tejas, ALH Mk-IV, LCH Prachand, mobile anti-drone system, BMP-II and its variants, NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier), T90 tanks, Dhanush, K9 Vajra and Pinaka rockets are among the platforms that will be demonstrated.
- The first-of-its-kind exercise on such a scale is “not tailored towards any direction (northern or western border) or any adversaries”.
- Various types of Radar, UAV-launched precision-guided munition, Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles, and drones of various types, including logistic drones and swarms of drones, and 3D-printed bunkers will be part of the exercise.
- The global share in Indian armed forces capability development projects has steadily declined, whereas the share of the domestic component has increased considerably.
Pokhran
- Pokhran is a remote location in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district.
- With the approval of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, the Test Range in Pokhran hosted the detonation of India’s first nuclear device in 1974.
- The test was known as a “Peaceful Nuclear Explosive” among government officials. After the detonation, it came to be known as Operation Smiling Buddha while the MEA called it ” Pokhran I”.
- The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre preferred to conduct the tests in the remote desert of Rajasthan due to the topography and the weather of the region.
- The test was conducted during the month of May when the wind in the region created serious sandstorms. The sandstorms obstruct a clear view to American spy satellites.
- Also, the infrared sensors do not pick up such activity due to the temperature that increases over 50 degrees during the daytime.
- To maintain the secrecy of the test the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre conducted the nuclear test in Pokhran.
- After conducting the test, the government announced that it did not intend to manufacture nuclear weapons but just wanted to make India self-reliant in nuclear technology.
- Twenty-four years after the first test was conducted, the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation and Atomic Energy Commission conducted five more nuclear tests on May 11, 1998.
About LCA Tejas:
- The Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) programme was started by the Government of India in 1984 when they established the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to manage the LCA programme.
- It replaced the aging Mig 21 fighter planes.
- Designed by –Aeronautical Development Agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development.
- Manufactured by -State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL).
- It is the lightest, smallest and tailless multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its class.
About LCH Prachand:
- The Indian Air Force formally inducted the indigenously developed multi-role Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Prachanda which is suitable for operating in high-altitude battlefields.
About NAMICA:
- Nag is a third-generation, fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile developed by India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to support both mechanized infantry and airborne forces of the Indian Army.
- It is an all weather condition with day and night capabilities and with a minimum range of 500m and maximum range of 4 km.
- Nag can be launched from land and air-based platforms. The land version is currently available for integration on the Nag missile carrier (NAMICA)
About T90 tank:
- The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank developed to replace the T-72.
- It uses a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner’s thermal sight.
About K9 Vajra:
- The K9 VAJRA-T 155mm/ 52 is a tracked self-propelled howitzer (a short gun for firing shells on high trajectories at low velocities), which has its roots in the K9 Thunder, the mainstay of the South Korean Army.
- It offers a high rate of fire at long-range and is compatible with Indian and standard North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ammunition.
- The K9 Thunder platform is made of all-welded steel armor protection material.
About Pinaka:
- The Pinaka, which is primarily a multi-barrel rocket system (MBRL) system, can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds.
- In the battlefield, long range artillery systems like Pinaka are used for attacking the adversary targets prior to the close quarter battles which involve smaller range artillery, armoured elements and the infantry
- The development of the Pinaka was started by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the late 1980s, as an alternative to the multi-barrel rocket launching systems of Russian make, called the ‘Grad’, which are still in use.