Indian Army gears up for war game in Rajasthan desert

New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) The Indian Army has launched a massive summer exercise in the Rajasthan desert involving over 50,000 troops and several hundred artillery guns and infantry combat vehicles as part of its efforts to shore up its battle worthiness on the western front with Pakistan.

The exercise, code-named 'Shoorveer', is being conducted by the Jaipur-based South Western Command and will end in the first week of May, an officer at the army headquarters here said.

'Troops of South Western 'Sapta Shakti' Command have now built up in the deserts of Rajasthan to carry out an annual summer exercise,' the army headquarters said here.

'Presently, the formations are practising their battle drills in the designated training areas,' it said.

The collective training started with honing up of basic battle procedures and tactical drills at tactical level.

'A number of field firings are being carried out to check the accuracy and lethality of the weapon systems. A large number of innovations and modifications carried out by units and formations to enhance combat power are being tested in the field,' the officer said.

The troops will build the momentum of training gradually, with increased combat tempo to set the stage for a major joint army-air force exercise in the later part of the exercise.

'The exercise Shoorveer is scheduled to culminate when Sapta Shakti Command along with Indian Air Force will carry out swift battle manoeuvres and joint operations,' the officer said.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Indian Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh are expected to witness the exercise in the first week of May.