Trishul War Games: India's first major tri-service exercise since Op Sindoor sends Pakistan into panic

The Trishul War Games, which started today, October 30, will end on November 10.

Senior armed forces officials told several media outlets that the ‘Trishul War Games’ is aimed at testing and validating lessons learned from Operation Sindoor.

The exercise will involve operations across a variety of tough terrains, including offensive manoeuvres in the creek and desert areas, amphibious landings off the Saurashtra coast, and joint multi-domain drills.

Officials said the exercise will be critical for assessing how well the three forces coordinate and operate in synergy in challenging conflict situations.

It will also help evaluate operational readiness, refine strategies, and improve integration of modern platforms across land, sea, and air domains.

Meanwhile, NDTV reported, citing sources, that Trishul is meant to send a strong message to Pakistan that India is prepared to defend its territory and, if required, start where Op Sindoor left off in May.

Pakistan closes airspace

The Trishul War Games has sent Pakistan into panic mode.

Hours after India notified its NOTAM, or notice to airmen, for the large-scale drills, seemingly unnerved, Islamabad issued additional airspace restrictions across central and southern flight routes, reportedly to protect sensitive zones near its border.

On Saturday, Pakistan’s aviation authorities issued their NOTAM restricting access to several air traffic routes across its central and southern airspace for 48 hours starting that morning.

The restrictions now cover nearly all of Pakistan’s airspace.

Trishul participants

The Indian Army has deployed T-90 battle tanks, BrahMos missile units, and Akash air defence systems — the same platform that successfully intercepted Pakistan’s missile barrage during Operation Sindoor.

Also participating is the indigenously developed Prachand attack helicopter.

The Indian Air Force has mobilised its top combat aircraft, including the French Rafale and Russian Sukhoi Su-30 jets, along with Sea Guardian and Heron drones.

The Navy has joined the exercise with its Kolkata-class destroyers, Nilgiri-class frigates, and a range of fast-attack craft.

Exercise Trishul will also see ground operations involving the Para (Special Forces) units of the Army’s Parachute Regiment, the Navy’s elite MARCOS commandos trained for amphibious and counter-terror missions, and the Air Force’s Garud commando unit.

In a retaliatory move, Islamabad has closed multiple sectors of its airspace in response to the Trishul exercise.

The Army will deploy over 20,000 soldiers, along with main battle tanks, howitzers, missile systems and armed helicopters to take part in the joint drills.

Sir Creek: The Flashpoint

Sir Creek, a 96-kilometre-long tidal estuary separating Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch from Pakistan’s Sindh province, continues to be a contentious border issue between the two countries.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has taken note of Pakistan’s recent expansion of military infrastructure in and around the Sir Creek region — including bunkers, radar installations, and forward operating bases (FOBs) capable of launching drone strikes or infantry assaults.

Last week, Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf made surprise visits to forward posts in the Sir Creek area and reportedly vowed to defend “every inch of our maritime borders… from Sir Creek to Jiwani”, comments that have put New Delhi and Indian defence planners on alert.