Indian Air Force is set to conduct a massive air exercise near the borders of Pakistan and China at the time when the country is going to host the biggest international event, the G20 summit.

The summit will be held from Sep 8th to 10th in New Delhi.

The exercise scheduled ahead of the G20 summit will witness the participation of major fleets of fighter aircraft, according to an Indian News website Time News.

The exercise named Trishul will be conducted in the Northern Sector close to the border of Indian neighbourly countries Pakistan and China from September 4 to 14, it said.

An official told Hindustan Times that the fighter aircraft that are expected to take part in the 10-day exercise include the Rafales, Sukhoi-30s and MiG-29s, the officials said.

It added that C-17 heavy-lifters, Il-76 transport planes, C-130J special operations aircraft, An-32s, Apache attack helicopters, Chinook multi-mission choppers, and remotely piloted aircraft systems – platforms that have operated extensively in the Ladakh sector – will also feature in the exercise. The IAF’s Garud commandos will also be involved.

The aircraft lifted tens of thousands of troops and a host amount of military pieces of equipment, including infantry combat vehicles, tanks, artillery guns, surface-to-air guided weapons and radars, to eastern Ladakh after began border tensions between both countries in May 2020.

The IAF is also preparing to host a mega exercise early next year that is expected to bring together 12 global air forces, with a focus on improving interoperability, imbibing best practices from one another and boosting military cooperation among the participating countries.