New Delhi, November 29, 2007 (DefenceIndia News Service)

In a bid to activate the air defence assets deployed under the Southern Air Command (SAC), the Indian Air Force will hold a two-phase exercise from December 3 in Thiruvananthapuram and at Hyderabad involving state-of-the-art aircraft like Mirage and SU-30s.

According to a Defence media release on Wednesday, "styled as 'Dakshin Prahar', the exercise, which will end on 9th December, has been conceived as a functional assessment of the air defence network in the peninsular region covering "the area little south of Nagpur to the Lakshadweep archipelago."

Elaborating on the 'Dakshin Prahar' program, the defence release said that the first phase of the programme would be conducted at Thiruvananthapuram from 3rd to 5th December activating the area from Bangalore to Kanyakumari and the Lakshadweep and Mincoy islands.

"The second phase from December 6 to 9 will cover the northern part of peninsula from Hyderabad to little south of Nagpur," it said.

State-of-the-art aircraft such as Mirage-2000, SU-30 and Jaguars would be simulating over long aerial ranges using air-to-air refuelling facilities and off-base operations.

Other aircraft participating in the associated logistical support would be the mammoth IL-76, workhorse AN-32 and MI-8 helicopters and Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs).

Pointing at the role of Navy, the defence release said that the Navy would be pooling in its resources and infrastructure to smoothen the 'inter-operability', helping better conduct of exercises.