Defence
India And US Special Forces Train For Border Operations As Tensions With China Escalate
Indian Special Forces commandos with an Army Aviation helicopter visible in the background (representative image).
The Indian and US Special forces are training with each other to practice accurate targeting of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs), along with the Air Force.
These wargames are happening at a time when tensions between India and China are escalating and there is no sign of Chinese troops disengaging from their forward posture.
The Indian and Chinese People Liberation Army (PLA), since May 2020, are locked in a border standoff where the Chinese brought more than 50,000 troops to forward areas all along the LAC. The Indian Army mirror deployed its own forces to counter Chinese aggressive posture.
Earlier, in December 2022, the Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Yangtse locality of the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Last week, the Chinese announced a list of Chinese name for eleven places inside Arunachal Pradesh.
According to a report, Indian and US special forces are training to support fighter operations in forward areas. The training is likely to involve special forces personnel designating targets by laser to enemy targets in forward areas.
The laser helps the Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) launched by fighter jets from the air to accurately hit enemy targets. This method of designating targets through laser by special forces is reportedly one of the most accurate methods of guidance.
At the same time, this method is the most dangerous as well, since the special forces has to infiltrate into enemy territory and reach dangerously close to the target exposing themselves to capture.
These wargames are being held on the sidelines of the Cope-India exercise which is scheduled to commence from 10 April. The exercise will be held at the Kalaikunda Air Force Base which will also see participation of a large contingent of USAF fighter and transport aircraft.
For the Cope India exercise, the US Air Force (USAF) will bring the F-15 Strike Eagle fighters to India. These F-15 Strike Eagles fighters will train with India's Sukhoi Su-30 MKI's, Dassault Rafales and the homegrown LCA Tejas.
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