As India mourns the victims of the Pahalgam massacre, the country’s military posture has taken a visibly assertive turn with a large-scale, high-intensity military exercise conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and operational demonstrations by the Navy. The timing and scale of these moves have raised eyebrows and heightened speculation about whether India is preparing for a broader response to Pakistan, despite official claims that these are “routine drills.”
Exercise Aakraman: Precision, Power, and Posturing
The IAF’s drill, codenamed Aakraman (which literally means "attack"), prominently featured:
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Rafale fighter jets—India’s most advanced 4.5-generation multirole aircraft.
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Su-30MKI squadrons are known for their deep-strike and dogfighting capabilities.
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Extended-range precision bombing missions simulating attacks on distant and fortified targets.
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Combat maneuvers across mountainous terrain, likely mirroring conditions near the LoC and other sensitive areas.
The exercise reportedly involved deployment from multiple airbases, including those on the eastern front, underlining the operational breadth and rapid mobility of the IAF. It was closely monitored by the top brass, indicating the seriousness attached to the exercise.
The sheer scale and focus of deep-strike operations—mirroring tactics used in the Balakot airstrikes of 2019—have further fueled assumptions that India could be preparing for a retaliatory strike.
Navy Flexes Muscle as Tensions Rise in the Arabian Sea
Simultaneously, the Indian Navy demonstrated its readiness by conducting missile tests:
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The INS Surat, a state-of-the-art guided missile destroyer, test-fired a medium-range surface-to-air missile.
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The move came in response to a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen/Mariners) issued by Pakistan, announcing a surface-to-surface missile test in the Arabian Sea.
This tit-for-tat signaling in a maritime domain suggests that India is responding across multiple theaters—land, air, and sea—as tensions escalate.
Signs of Escalation in Pakistan
The aggressive posturing by India appears to have unsettled Pakistan:
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Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 (screenshots shared widely on social media) showed Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft relocating from Karachi to northern bases near Lahore and Rawalpindi—closer to the Indian border.
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Pakistan has reportedly put its armed forces on alert, indicating defensive preparations are underway.
Historical Context: Drills as Preludes to Conflict
Military history suggests that "routine exercises" are often precursors to action:
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China conducted multiple drills along the LAC just before the 2020 Galwan clashes, which led to the deadliest India-China confrontation in decades.
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Russia’s Zapad exercise in 2021, involving over 200,000 troops, was used to mask the buildup before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Given this context, the Aakraman exercise and naval missile testing—conducted shortly after the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir in years—are being interpreted by analysts as strategic signaling to Pakistan and a message to the international community that India is prepared to escalate if provoked further.
Conclusion: Routine Drill or Calculated Message?
While India maintains these are routine training exercises, their timing, scale, choice of weaponry, and the specific terrain involved suggest more than just readiness drills. With tensions running high, diplomatic and military watchers are closely monitoring the subcontinent, bracing for possible escalations or a retaliatory strike in the days to come.
If history is any guide, exercises like Aakraman often precede decisive military or diplomatic actions. The situation remains fluid—and the next 72 hours may prove to be critical.
