CHANDIGARH: As part of Exercise Kharga Shakti at Mahajan Field Firing Range, Arny’s Western Command conducted ‘Exercise Ashni Yodha’ to validate the operational proficiency of Strike Corps Ashni Platoons, underscoring their growing significance in delivering integrated firepower and persistent surveillance across the battlespace.Guided by the credo ‘Unblinking Eyes, Unerring Fire’, the platoons seamlessly integrated advanced sensing, targeting and manoeuvre support to establish a continuous awareness-to-engagement grid, markedly compressing response timelines, said an Army release. Operating as the invisible eyes of infantry battalions, Ashni platoons ensured sustained adversary exposure and precise engagement, setting a decisive operational tone ahead of the exercise’s culminating phase scheduled on Feb 23-24, it said.In keeping with the needs of modern warfare, the Indian Army is raising drone platoons for each infantry battalion. Named Ashni, each such platoon has 20-25 soldiers equipped with drones that have hi-tech reconnaissance capabilities and lethal firepower. They also have loitering munitions. Ashni platoons revolutionise battlefield awareness.ASHNI platoon’s first test by fire was in Exercise Yudh Kaushal, held in extreme weather conditions in Kameng region of Arunachal Pradesh in Sept last year.
