India has decided to hold a major combat exercise with Russia this year.
This exercise will aim at cranking up military-to-military ties between the two countries.
This exercise will aim at cranking up military-to-military ties between the two countries.
- It will be held in Russia'
- Assets and Manpower from the Army, Navy and IAF will be included in this exercise.
- India will deploy the three services together for an exercise with a country for the very first time.
- Indian and Russian armies and navies have been separately holding their Indra exercises off-and-on for the last few years, but first-ever bilateral air combat exercise "Avia Indra" was held in the Astrakhan region, near the Caspian Sea, in 2014.
- The first initial planning conference has already been held with Russia to discuss the exercise scenario, assets and manpower for the tri-Service Indra.
India's Defence Relations With Russia
- India had inked pacts with Russia to acquire five S-400 Triumf advanced air defence missile systems, four Grigorivich-class frigates and 200 Kamov-226T light helicopters, while also sealing the lease of a second nuclear-powered submarine after INS Chakra, all together worth around $10.5 billion.
- Russia has been India's largest defence supplier for long, notching up military sales worth over $50 billion since the 1960s, their armed forces do not exercise much together.
