How will Indian Army drones, tanks and Unmanned Systems combine in future battlefields? THIS exercise showed | IN PICS

The Indian Army successfully conducted 'Vayu Sananvay-II', a large-scale drone and counter-drone exercise, in forward areas of the Desert Sector under the aegis of the Pune-based Southern Command.

The two-day exercise concluded on Saturday, October 29, focusing on strengthening the Indian Army's response capability against evolving aerial threats. 'Vayu Sananvay-II' was designed to validate the Indian Army's preparedness for next-generation warfare by integrating various aerial and ground assets, the defence ministry said.

It also focused on the fusion of multi-domain command and control centres in a realistic, Electronic Warfare (EW) and contested operational environment. Lessons learned from the exercise will directly contribute to capability development and accelerated induction of modern Drone and Counter-Drone systems in the Indian Army, an official release said.

While It was a testimony tp Army's vision to build a technology-driven, agile, and future-ready force capable of dominating the evolving battlespace, here are five things to learn about 'Vayu Sananvay-II':

• The exercise centered on developing and testing doctrinal precepts specifically for Drone and Counter-Drone operations. The objective was to strengthen India's response capability against evolving aerial threats.

The drills helped validate doctrinal precepts for drone warfare—ensuring theoretical strategies could be effectively applied and refined under realistic conditions.

• The desert terrain and weather conditions provided an ideal testing ground to validate the Indian Army's preparedness for next-generation warfare by integrating various aerial and ground assets and fusing multi-domain command and control centres, the defence ministry said.
• The participating personnel were provided with a realistic, Electronic Warfare (EW) and contested operational environment to simulate modern battle situations.

• 'Vayu Sananvay-II' showcased the successful integration of various aerial and ground assets to enhance combat effectiveness. It also ensured joint interoperability between various arms of the Army, demonstrating coordinated efforts for technology-enabled operations in sensitive frontier regions.
• The troops were allowed to experiment with indigenous technologies related to drone and counter-drone systems under a live operational environment.