US and Indian Army exercises from today

NEW DELHI: The Indian and the United States armies will exchange ‘low intensity conflict’ exercises, the Indian exercises being in the jungle terrain in the north-eastern state of Mizoram from today.

The exercise codenamed ‘Yudh Abhyas’ will be held at the Indian army’s prestigious counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school at Vairangte from March 27 to April 17, an army spokesman said here on Friday.

He said an exchange exercise with the US Army was planned on American soil on July 4, where an Indian Army infantry platoon will participate in US Army battalion-level field and live fire exercise.

Yudh Abhyas, the spokesman said, would be the first time that regular infantry soldiers from the two armies would be involved. Hitherto, India and the US have held joint exercises at the special forces-level near Leh in Jammu and Kashmir and in Agra.

Meanwhile for the second consecutive day Trishul, India’s most sophisticated surface -to-air missile, was test-fired from the test range in Chandipur, in the eastern coastal state of Orissa.

The three-metre-long missile with a diameter of 200 centimetres can fly at supersonic speed and has a sensitive radar altimetre and height lock-loop control on board which helps it to skim over the sea at very low altitude. The solid fuel missile can be used by the army, air force and navy, has a range of nine km and can carry a payload of 15 kilogrammes, sources said. —Iftikhar Gilani

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