Indian Army launches ‘Operation Him Vijay’ exercise.

‘Operation Him Vijay’, a military exercise designed to test out Indian army’s offensive capabilities against China has started. 

Indian Army during Kharga exercise  (Picture source: zeenews )

The exercise being held in Arunachal Pradesh away from the line of actual control with China, no formal intimation has been given to China. The army plans to convert the new 17 Corps or ‘Brahmastra’ Corps into ‘a lean and mean force’ for ‘swift attacks’ inside Chinese territory in the event of a war.

This exercise is also meant as a major combat exercise to test its new integrated battle groups (IBGs) for mountain warfare in Arunachal Pradesh.

Army sources said the month-long ‘Him Vijay’ exercise will test out a dynamic operational scenario involving ‘vulnerable contingencies for the enemy in multiple valleys’ in the mountainous region.

The three IBGs, carved out of the 17 Corps with around 5,000 soldiers each and a mix of tanks, light artillery, air defence units, signals and other elements, are exercising in conjunction with IAF’s C-17 Globemaster-III, C-130J Super Hercules and AN-32 aircraft as well as helicopters for airlift of soldiers and equipment as well as rapid inter-valley transfers.