India has kicked off its 12-day tri-services military exercise named Trishul close to the Pakistan border on October 30th.
The military exercises come months after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’- an alleged counter-terrorism operation against Pakistan in May 2025. Trishul- the large-scale military exercises in November 2025 signal towards New Delhi’s ambitions to take Operation Sindoor 2.0 against Pakistan in the near future.
So what will be on display in these military exercises? According to Indian media reports, Indian armed forces will be deploying special forces, commandos, missiles, batteries, warships, battle tanks, and attack aircraft, including the Rafale and Sukhoi Su-30.
This equipment will be a part of the simulated offensive strikes to test the Indian Armed Forces’ readiness. All these developments point towards India’s intention and anticipation of a full-scale war against Pakistan in the coming days.
The exercises will take place across Gujarat and Rajasthan, especially the Kachch region- the expected flashpoint with Pakistan.
In recent statements, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has already warned Pakistan of attacking Karachi, the southern city of Pakistan, through Sirk Creek. The region is a narrow and disputed strip of water less than 100 km long in the tidal estuary between Gujarat’s run of Kachh and Pakistan.
The western half of the creek belongs to Pakistan and the eastern to India. The Tri-Service Military Drill will begin from October 30th to November 10th. New Delhi calls it a display of “jointness, self-reliance, and innovation.”
Indian Defence Ministry states that the military exercise will test the interoperability and indigenous defence system, including electronic warfare and surveillance platforms. There have been airspace closures up to 28,000 feet, amphibious operations off the Saurashtra coast, and offensive manoeuvres in the deserts and creek sectors. Satellite image analysts have described the scale of the exercises as unusual. Pakistan will also be watching these military exercises happening at its border with extreme vigilance.
“Troops from Southern Command will actively participate to validate joint operations across diverse and challenging terrains, including offensive manoeuvres in the creek and desert sectors, amphibious operations off the Saurashtra coast, and joint multi-domain operational exercises,” the statement read.
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Sir Creek To Karachi: Exercise Trishul To Lay Out India’s Strike Plan For Southern Pakistan
Sir Creek sits barely 200 kilometres from Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and its economic jugular. The Sir Creek-Badin-Karachi belt represents one of Pakistan’s weakest military… pic.twitter.com/O1R4GFGbV8
— Sanbeer Singh Ranhotra (@SSanbeer) October 29, 2025
It appears that the exercises are meant to display military might to external enemies, opponents abroad, as well as to domestic audiences, amid upcoming State elections in Bihar, India.
India has also issued NOTAM for the duration of these military exercises. In response to India’s issues of notice to airmen, Pakistan has also issued a notice to air missions covering the majority of its airspace.
The Indian Army is expected to deploy more than 20,000 soldiers as well as main battle tanks, howitzers, armed helicopters, and missile systems. Drills like Trinetra, with a focus on full-scale electromagnetic spectrum operations, encounter unmanned aerial systems skill chains that are already being conducted by the 21 Sudarshan Chakra Strikes Corps in the desert sector.
The Indian Air Force could also conduct Maha Gujarat and employ Rafales, some of them shot down by Pakistan in a four-day military escalation in May 2025. Rafales are considered to be the most expensive jets in the Indian Air Force fleet.
Other than Rafales and Sukhoi-30MKIs, special aircraft, helicopters, remotely piloted aircraft, and force enablers like IL-78 mid-air refuelers, and airborne early warning and control aircraft are also part of these military exercises. The Navy has also deployed some frigates and destroyers off the Gujarat coast.
These military exercises come at a time when Pakistan is engaged in border tensions with neighboring Afghanistan. In recent months, India has ramped up its war preparedness- from testing Agni missiles to top Indian officials issuing strong-worded statements threatening to alter the geography of Pakistan. As a result, India–Pakistan tensions are expected to intensify further in the coming months.
With Additional Inputs from GVS South Asia Desk