The Indian Air Force (IAF) is poised to carry out a high-stakes air drill near the Pakistan border on May 7 and 8, 2025, according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by Indian aviation authorities. The exercise, centered around Jodhpur in Rajasthan, takes place amid rising military friction between India and Pakistan, particularly in the wake of the April 23 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead, including two foreign nationals. The attack, claimed by the proscribed group The Resistance Front (TRF), has raised serious alarm over cross-border militancy and regional security.
The location of the air exercise is strategically critical. Jodhpur has emerged as a prominent military base in western India. Notably, in March 2024, the Indian Army stationed its first Apache attack helicopter squadron in the region to strengthen counter-offensive capabilities along the western frontier. The upcoming IAF maneuvers are expected to involve a range of sophisticated aerial platforms such as Rafale jets equipped with long-range Meteor missiles, Su-30 MKIs armed with R-77 beyond-visual-range missiles, and the deployment of the S-400 Triumf air defense system. These developments follow India’s multinational air exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ hosted in Jodhpur in 2024, which featured participation from global partners like the US, France, and Australia.
Heightened hostilities have also been reported along the Line of Control (LoC), with Indian media sources noting ten successive nights of ceasefire breaches by Pakistani forces as of May 4, 2025. India has responded with calibrated military action, but the pattern underscores the fragility of the 2021 ceasefire agreement. The convergence of this air drill with reported nationwide civil defense exercises has fueled speculation among defense analysts regarding potential escalation or strategic signaling.
Adding a new dimension to the security dynamics, Pakistan has reportedly deployed the Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense system, a surface-to-air missile platform similar in range and capability to India’s S-400. The parallel modernization of air defense arsenals on both sides reflects an intensifying arms race in South Asia, amplifying the risk of misjudgments along the heavily militarized frontier.
Residents in Rajasthan may notice heightened air activity during the exercise window, as routine flight paths are expected to be temporarily altered. While Indian officials have described the drills as standard readiness operations, the timing and scale of the exercise—so close to the international border—have drawn global attention. Strategic commentators have called on both India and Pakistan to maintain open lines of communication and restraint to prevent accidental escalation between two nuclear-armed adversaries.
