The annual India-U.S. bilateral Army exercise, "Yudh Abhyas 2024," kicked off at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan on September 9th. This year's exercise boasts an extensive range of military activities, including live-fire drills and various training exercises.
Notably, the U.S. Army contingent participating in the exercise has brought Stryker infantry vehicles and, more significantly, the M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).
This deployment of HIMARS in India represents a major development, given the U.S.'s keen interest in selling this advanced weapon system to the Indian Army.
Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the HIMARS is a truck-mounted, mobile rocket launcher capable of carrying six missiles at once. It has garnered global attention, with several European nations placing orders. Additionally, the U.S. has recently revealed plans to supply HIMARS to Indo-Pacific nations, including Taiwan.
The inclusion of HIMARS in the Yudh Abhyas exercise offers India a valuable opportunity to gain firsthand experience with this cutting-edge system and evaluate its potential integration into its own military arsenal.
Furthermore, the exercise serves as a vital platform for bolstering interoperability between the Indian and U.S. armies and fortifying their bilateral military cooperation.
