RAS question
Exercise Indra 2025, the Indo-Russian joint military exercise, was held at which location in Rajasthan?
Correct answer: (B) Mahajan Field Firing Range, Bikaner.
Exercise Indra 2025, the Indo-Russian joint military exercise, was held at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Explanation
Exercise Indra 2025 was conducted at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Bikaner, Rajasthan, from 6 to 15 October 2025. The location matters because the exercise tested India-Russia military coordination in demanding desert conditions, not at a generic cantonment or another firing range. The drills focused on counter-terrorism, including hostage-rescue simulations, elimination of insurgent networks and precision engagement of fortified positions. The exercise also included live-fire training, close-quarter combat, UAV use for reconnaissance and target acquisition, air-support coordination, and synchronisation of artillery and armoured elements. The Indra series began in 2003, alternates between India and Russia, and had been suspended after the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Pokhran Field Firing Range is in Jaisalmer, but the cited Exercise Indra 2025 report places the exercise at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Bikaner.
- (C) Suratgarh Military Station is not the reported venue; the exercise was held at Mahajan Field Firing Range, Bikaner.
- (D) Babina Field Firing Range is listed with Jhansi, while the question asks for the Rajasthan location and the reported venue was Bikaner.
Concept
This tests current-affairs mapping of defence exercises to their exact venues in Rajasthan. RAS often asks such items because military exercises link national security events with Rajasthan's desert training geography.