India, Russia to conduct Indra joint combat exercise

Days after India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar held wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, the two countries are all set to conduct their joint combat exercise “Indra” strengthening their defence cooperation further.

The joint counter terrorism exercise will take place from November 8 to 19 in which troops from India and Russia will participate. The two armies will look at honing their counter-terrorism skills. Nearly 250 Russian troops are expected to arrive in India for the 10- day exercise to match their combat capabilities with their Indian counterparts. The exercise will take place at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan. The first Indra exercise was held at the Mahajan ranges in Rajasthan in 2005, the second one was conducted at Pskov in Russia in 2007 and the third at Chaubattia near Ranikhet in Uttarakhand in 2009. After 2009, the exercises have been held yearly between the two countries.

Indian and Russian warships are also slated to hold the Indra naval wargames on India’s eastern seaboard from December 9 to 12. The two countries will also hold their Indra series of naval wargames once a year. Indian and Russian air forces, in turn, held their maiden air combat exercise, Ex Avia Indra, for the first time at the Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea in August-September 2014.

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