40

VAYU
Exercise Live Wire 2013
The IAF: Preparing for
all Contingencies
I
t seems that the Indian Air Force
is always at war ! There are no
moments of peace ever, for such are
the demands of eternal vigilance and
readiness for a prompt, not-a-minute-
too late response to any threat from an
adversary which every air warrior, men
and women in blue, must act according
to the duty and role assigned them. Every
opportunity is taken to convert concepts
and doctrines into real and palpable action
with aircraft and other concomitant assets
on the ground, operationalised and tested
in terms of their dependability, endurance
and effectiveness.
The Indian Air Force had staged its
biggest ever, day and night Fire Power
Demonstration (FPD) code-named Iron
Fist on 22 February 2013 (see Vayu
II/2013). This had its inherent element of
all fghter aircraft types and helicopters
put to severe test, but was also the IAFs
show window to important spectators,
top political leaders of the country
including the President of India, Supreme
Commander of the Defence Forces, the
Prime Minister, the Defence Minister, and
MiG-27UPG fring 57mm rockets
Chief of the Air Staf Air Chief Marshal
NAK Browne monitoring the Exercise
from an A-50EI AWACS
MiG-29Bs in formaton
40-45 The IAF Preparing for all Contingencies.indd 40 17-06-2013 11:02:51