Indian Army's Ghatak commandos : Here's all you need to know

Indian Army's Ghatak commandos : Here's all you need to know

Indian Army is fully prepared for any kind of assault by Chinese forces and has deployed its Ghatak commandos in Ladakh near the border areas to counter the martial arts’ trained Chinese Army. According to an Army officer, a Ghatak commando undergos a specialised 43-day Commando Training Course at Belgaum in Karnataka. The training includes running for 40-kilometers non-stop with a weight of about 35 kg which strengthens them physically.

Ghatak Platoons are specialized elite infantry platoons within Indian Army and their primary role and purpose is to be heavily armed spearheads or shock troopers in case of an operation or a conflict.

Ghatak Platoons are composed of the most physically fit and motivated soldiers in an infantry battalion. The Ghatak commandos are trained to flank around their enemy and attack them from the rear without needing any support from the rest of the battalion. Apart from weapons training they are also trained in hand-to-hand combat and also specialise in martial arts.

Ghatak commandos can undertake direct raids on enemy artillery positions, air fields, supply dumps and headquarters and can also direct artillery and air attacks while behind the enemy lines. They are also trained in heliborne assault , mountain warfare , rock climbing , demolitions, close quarter battles , and also in administrative and logistical roles.

A Ghatak Platoon is usually 20-men strong, consisting of a commanding Captain, 2 non-commissioned officers and some special teams like marksman and spotter pairs, light machine gunners, medic and radio operator. The remaining soldiers act as assault troopers.

To train them for their purpose, Ghatak commandos undergo training at Commando Training Course in Belgaum, Karnataka where the soldiers are evaluated through speed marches in battle gear ranging from 20 to 60 km, carrying their rifles and 20 kg of weight in their rucksacks. They are armed with INSAS Assault Rifles , AKM Assault Rifles , Pika General Purpose Machine Gun , M4 Carbine , B&T MP9 Submachine Gun , TAR-21 Assault Rifles , Carl Gustav Recoil-Less Rifle , SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle , MP5 Submachine Gun and INSAS Light Machine Guns.

Depending on the mission, these commandos may carry other items like ropes, climbing gear, grenades, rocket launchers, laser target designators and night vision equipment.