Armored Exercises

National Training Center Jaisalmer

The blistering heat and shimmering mirages are not deterring the steady advance of the T100 Main Battle Tank as it wound its way through the sand dunes and sand traps used as static defenses by the X ACR, which is defending this landscape. The S-RECO that was launched a while ago had revealed some enemy opposition 5 kilometers ahead before it was shot down by some SAM. As the leader of the scout platoon of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment's 1st Brigade, Echo 256 would have to blast a way through the enemy force. The reconnaissance battle is over for now, both sides have a reasonable disposition about the others' forces. 

The 1 Brigade is at the front of this assault and his Battalion is stretched behind him. This was a do or die moment. He had to render a hole in the enemy forces' against marked superiority. The Brigade's artillery and MRLS had been wiped out by the enemy's helicopter gunships in a dare devil strike which was compensated by the entire helicopter battalion sized force being wiped out by his Air Defense IFVs. The loss of artillery would be compensated by the Regiment rushing 2nd Brigade's artillery Battalion to the 1Br front but that would take some hours. Meanwhile 1BR has to shoot its way through against an artillery barrage becoming more and more accurate every minute. Despite the frantic maneuvering the platoon is doing, one of the T100s and two BMP3s have already been destroyed.

"Sir, I have a target."

The gunner yelled out at his commander.

"Load HEAT."
"Loaded in chamber."
"Fire."
"Target. Cease fire. Next."

The pillar of flame that shot out of the T100 4 kilometers away was topped by the blown turret. But before he could savor the joy of the kill, he heard frantic communications from the remaining tanker to his left, which ceased abruptly.

"Brigade, this is Command. Charge at will, we need to get a breakthrough here," the Brigade's Colonel's voice sounded through the battlefield intercom. As on cue the commander of the tank watched his entire Battalion racing up towards the enemy positions firing while on full speed burst. This charge was the only way to outmaneuver the artillery and armor detachment that is holding the front ahead.

As he felt the tank jostling in all directions due to the high speed charge, the Inter Vehicular Information System, showed several tanks of his platoon sending out hit reports.

An hour later the young Lieutenant finished off the last enemy tank with a Sabot round at close range. As he watched the pillar of fire again, he did not feel remorse or regret of having killed a bunch of fellow tankers. No, these targets did not elicit that sort of regret.

All in all it was a good day, a day that really gave him confidence that the strenuous and tough training he and his fellow tankers had undertaken had been validated against a very highly skilled opponent indeed, in fact the most skilled opponent that he can think of, a thinking intelligent Cochin tanker. That too against X ACR, the resident Armored Cavalry Regiment at the NTC Jaisalmer.

"Okay, soldiers, let us pack up," the Lieutenant ordered as he opened the hatch. Blinking against harsh lights emanating from the bright sky upwards, the soldier walked to the Barracks a bare 300 yards away. He was sure the tankers whom he had "killed" during the day's exercise would already be there. Time to get a little payback for all the hazing they did when his Regiment came to the NTC.

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The National Training Center uses decommissioned T100s and T90s of Royal Cochin Army now in Reserve status as live fire dummies for these battle field exercises. Simulation pods in kazernes at the base are used to provide live control to simulate entire Regiments at a time. All the elements of a regiment including its logistics units, vehicles, aircraft and infantry are all simulated in such live fire exercises. The pods control real equipment in the vast Training Range, readied by NTC staff, which are remotely controlled to mimic the actions and commands simulated in the pods.

Since real equipment are used, real combat attrition can be simulated and live weaponry can be used to give a greater training edge to the soldiers. NTC in short simulates real combat, with real material casualties, without any human casualty. It is the most realistic armored combat training school in the world.

X ACR consists of a dedicated facility stationed at NTC to impart Op For capability to the Royal Cochin Army fighting units. Highly skilled educators and decorated soldiers, these instructors study up on every possible military tactic likely to be used in a battlefield so that the Royal Cochin Army soldier is the most well trained soldier on the planet.

Since the vast inventory of National Defense Reserves Stockpile have to be routinely expended to keep the active duty equipment and reserve equipment up to date, such expenditure of equipment is also a cost effective training method.