Berhampur: The corps of Army Air Defence conducted a night firing exercise for the first time at Gopalpur on Friday night as part of a "Know your Army" programme.

"Modern equipment were on display as part of the programme," said head of the Air Defence College, Gopalpur, Lt. General A.P. Singh.

The sky was full of volleys of shells hitting targets high above the sea during the programme.

ZU23 MM guns, L70 guns, Schilka self-propelled gun and Igla missile weapon system have been the mainstay of the air defence arsenal till now.

Induction of the Akash weapon system has heralded a new era.

"We are undergoing a major transformation as far as technological advancements and countering modern air threat ranging from unmanned drones to "beyond visual range" engagements are concerned. New radars and missiles firing systems such as Akash and Fly Catcher have been inducted and some others are in the pipeline," said Singh.

With its motto "Akashe shatrun jehi" (no enemy can dare venture in our skies), the Corps of Army Air Defence, which is the strike arm of the army, protects the airspace of the country.

Although, air defence guns have been part of the Indian Army since World War II as part of the corps of artillery, air defence was given the status of independent corps on Jaunuary 1, 1994, following which it established its own training college for officers and a centre for jawans at Gopalpur.