PTI, NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of the largest-ever Russia-China military manouevres, India and Russia propose to hold large scale air and land exercises in the Thar desert in mid-October.
The week-long exercises involving special para forces from the two countries would “seek to strike an inter-operability” between the land forces of the two
countries for possible future operations under international peacekeeping banner in third countries, with the focus on volatile Central Asian region, highly placed army sources said here.
In the exercises, which would entail blitzkreig style anti-terrorist commando operations with the use of aircraft and helicopters, a Russian Specialised para battlion and an Indian Para battalion would be deployed, the sources said. After holding anti-terrorist war games with Indian forces, Russia proposes to hold similar war games with the Uzbekistan army, sources said.
Russian forces would be deploying specialised anti-terror infantry weapons like sniper guns, rapid firing machine guns, anti-material rifles as well as long distance specialised rockets during the exercises.
Indian and Russian forces would have the advantage of commonality of weapons during the exercises as Indian army's frontline equipment is still of Russian make. Russia and India enjoyed a very close defence cooperation in the cold war era and this will be the second time in three years that the two countries would be holding joint military exercises.
India and Russia held larg scale Naval exercises in the Arabian sea in 2003 in the aftermath of the US-led intervention in Afghanistan post 9/11, which involved the frontline Russian Naval missile destroyers, frigates, helicopter carriers, submarines as well as nuclear capable TU-22m long range strategic bombers.
The Russians, during their ongoing exercises with the Chinese forces, have deployed the same formadible naval armada and over 10,000 troops drawn from navy, air force and army are participating in the exercises, the first phase of which was held in the Russian far east port of Vladivostok and the second near the Chinese north-east coastal city of Qingdo.
Intermingled with the joint exercises, the Russian military top brass including Defence Minister Sergei Lavrov and his deputy, plus a large delegation from Army, Navy and Air Force would be in India.
