IAF to begin major air exercise near Pakistan border from today; frontline fighters Rafale, Mirage, Su-30s to participate

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will begin a major air exercise over the desert sector and nearby areas along the India-Pakistan border from May 7, involving its frontline fighter aircraft, IAF officials said on Monday.

According to the officials, all frontline aircraft including the Rafale, Mirage 2000 and Sukhoi-30s, will participate in the drill.

A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by aviation authorities says the exercise will continue till May 15, and some airspace over Rajasthan will be temporarily closed to civil flights during the exercise.

The restricted zones cover parts of the Pokhran range and surrounding areas.

“All civil scheduled flights operating in the exercise areas will be accommodated by the Indian Air Force,” the NOTAM noted.

This comes after tensions arose between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists were killed.

On the other hand, the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a meeting over mock drills which are to be conducted all over the country today for the effective Civil Defence Several high-ranking officials, including the DG Civil Defence and DG NDRF who attended the meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“We are reviewing preparedness. Loopholes to be rectified have been identified,” said a member of the National Disaster Management Authority after the MHA meeting.

In a boost to civil defence preparations amid tensions with Pakistan, the Union Home Ministry has decided to organise Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across 244 categorised districts on May 7.

According to a letter written to Chief Secretaries, the Union Home Ministry said the exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across states and Union Territories.

The exercise is planned up to the village level.

“Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to organise Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across 244 categorised Civil Defence Districts of the country on May 7, 2025,” the letter said.

The primary objectives of the mock drill include assessing the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, operationalisation of hotline, radio communication links with IAF, testing functionality of control rooms and shadow rooms, training of civilians including students on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of hostile attack and provision of crash blackout measures.

The objectives also include the provision of early camouflaging of vital installations, to verify the activation and response of Civil Defence Services including warden services, firefighting, rescue operations and depot management, assessing the implementation of crash blackout measures and evaluating the preparedness of evacuation plans and their execution. (ANI)