Barmer/Jaisalmer, Nov. 12 -- A C-295 carrier aircraft, a Jaguar jet and a Sukhoi-30 on Tuesday performed coordinated manoeuvres on an emergency airfield running next to a public highway in Barmer district, as part of an intricate training exercise by the Indian Air Force, senior officers said. According to wing commander Devendra Pandey, the drill- named "Maha Gajaraj"- was part of Operation Trishul, a 12-day military preparedness test that follows Operation Sindoor and entered its second last day with Tuesday's programme. It was held in the Gandhav area of the district, on an airstrip running next to Bharatmala expressway NH-925A, he added. The three manoeuvres followed each other seamlessly, said Pandey, adding that the drill began with a "touch-and-go" manoeuvre by the carrier aircraft, followed by quick take-offs and landings by the Jaguar and the Sukhoi-30. The drill served its purpose of validating the operational reliability of emergency airfields in border areas, such as the Gandhav airfield, he said, adding that the exercise marked only the third time fighter jets landed on the runway after it was built. The emergency airstrip is located barely 40 kilometres from the border with Pakistan and cost a total sum of Rs.32.95 crore. It includes two aircraft parking bays, an air traffic control building, and a service road. The airstrip is part of the Bharatmala Project, aimed at improving both civilian transport and military logistics in western frontiers Meanwhile, the Indian Army and Air Force conducted a joint exercise named "Operation Maru-Jwala" in the Jaisalmer desert, again as part of Operation Trishul, senior officers aware said. The exercise was a comprehensive mock military operation, which involved simulations of coordinated strikes on designated "enemy" locations, and was aimed at maintaining the standard of combat readiness and familiarity with desert warfare through advanced military technology, according to Lieutenant Colonel Nikhil Dhawan, defence public relations officer....