Article Posted on : - Feb 08, 2012

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Air Force has deferred its biggest ever wargame codenamed 'Operation Livewire' -- which was scheduled to begin later next month -- after realising that the force needed to integrate its new acquisitions into the service before holding the exercise.

The IAF was planning to deploy all its frontline aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and the AWACS, at the exercise earlier planned to be held between March 24 and April 15.

"The exercise was deferred after we realised that we needed to integrate our new assets with the existing sensors and systems," IAF officials said here, adding new dates and schedule for holding the exercise has not been decided yet.

As per IAF's plans, the exercise would have involved the assets of IAF's main operational formations including the Delhi-based Western Command and Gandhinagar-based South Western Command.

During the wargame, the IAF would have practised fighting both conventional and non-conventional warfare which would have included manoeuvres to carry out surgical strikes.

The IAF had recently carried out Exercise MahaGujRaj with the Army over the western desert.