US and Indian forces fly and fight together in combined air assault

AULI, India — U.S. and Indian Army troops carried out a combined air assault near Auli on Sept. 25 during Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, seizing two objectives with soldiers from both nations integrated into the same formations.

The mission opened with battalion scouts conducting reconnaissance. The lead company moved into assault positions, isolated the first objective and secured it, while a second company isolated the other objective ahead of the air assault.

Soldiers then flew aboard an Indian helicopter to a landing zone near the second objective before maneuvering into position. Indian soldiers conducted their own air assault shortly afterward, descending from a helicopter to join the force and seize the objective. With both objectives taken, the combined formation shifted to a hasty defense.

Army Capt. Gaston Adam, 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, deputy operations officer, said close coordination with Indian Army aviation underpinned the operation. “The integration between the ground force and the aviation task force, particularly the pilots, is integral to an operation like this,” Adam said. “You have to be able to look that pilot in the eye and trust they’re going to get you there safely. It builds confidence in the soldiers that they’re actually going to reach their objective and can focus on their mission.”

The day prior, both forces held an air mission coordination meeting, followed by cold load training and aircraft familiarization to rehearse safe loading and offloading procedures.

Reflecting the exercise’s focus on interoperability, the first company, led by a U.S. commander, comprised two U.S. platoons and one Indian platoon. The second company was organized the same way. A separate Indian company acted as a decoy element and included two Indian platoons and one U.S. platoon. “It just goes to show that even though we’re mixing our formations together, we can still work together and execute a good plan,” Adam said, noting shared systems and checklists were essential to success.

The air assault was the first of three planned repetitions during the exercise, with additional missions scheduled over the next two days under different task organizations. “It’s been great working with the Indian Army,” Adam said. “The planning has been great.”

Yudh Abhyas 2026 is the 22nd iteration of the annual U.S. Army Pacific-sponsored bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Indian armies, designed to enhance bilateral readiness, cooperation and interoperability.