Indian Armed Forces conduct first ever war games in the South

New Delhi: The Indian Armed Forces, in particular the Indian Air Force, the Coast Guard and the Navy, have concluded the first ever combat war games in the southern region of the country under the code-name 'Dakshin Prahar.' The combined exercise was designed to test the reaction of the various arms in the eventuality of an armed threat to the southern region of the country.

The week-long exercise took place in the backdrop of emerging threats from unconventional forces such as the Tamil Tigers who have recently displayed their fledgling air assets. A couple of spectacular air attacks on the Sri Lankan Air Force have left it virtually crippled.

Frontline fighters such as Mirage 2000, Sukhoi 30 MKI's, maritime interdiction Jaguar aircraft, Naval and Coast Guard warships, ground to air missiles and the army's air defence artillery were used in the exercises which tested the forces' ability to ward off attacks on "high value" assests in the region.

Though defence ministry officials did not identify the ''high value'' assets, the reference was to possible threats to the country's indigenous fast breeder nuclear reactors located at Kalpakkam, close to the eastern shoreline near Chennai.

In the war games, satellites and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV'S) were also brought into play to detect possible enemy air and sea intrusions. Thescope of the exercise also covered the country's island territories.