New Delhi: Rice, Victor, Zac and Rowdy four Indian Army canines that have been specially trained, are participating in Yudh Abhyas 2026, demonstrating their capability of working in conjunction with soldiers in specific tactical exercises. The canines were seen performing room entry and rappelling exercises with Indians and Americans personnel.
From the visuals shared by Army, it is clear that the dogs have been taught to go through various training routines with their trainers and army men. The involvement of these animals also provided an opportunity for US Army to see how the Indian army incorporates the use of trained dogs with its soldiers during specialized operations.
Among the four canines, Victor and Rowdy are Rampur hounds, an indigenous Indian breed from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, which is increasingly being employed by the Army for military roles. Zac is a Belgian Malinois, while Rice is a labrador retriever. Together, the four represent different breeds used for military tasks, combining speed, detection capabilities and adaptability.
The Rampur hounds also bring operational experience from deployments along India’s northern and eastern borders. They had earlier demonstrated their capabilities during a multilateral international exercise at Umroi in Meghalaya before being deployed along the Manipur border, where they successfully detected improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Their siblings were also deployed in the Jalandhar and Amritsar sectors during Operation Sindoor, highlighting the operational utility of this canine line across different terrains and security environments. Their participation in Yudh Abhyas now places that experience alongside the US force personnel and training systems.
Use of the indigenous breed Rampur hound is important as the Indian Army moves forward with developing the capacity of the local military dog breeds. Their presence along with the other military breeds is also an indication of the development of dog breeds for the needs of India.
Yudh Abhyas 2026
India and the United States are conducting the 22nd edition of Yudh Abhyas across desert and high-altitude terrain for the first time, with around 600 personnel from each side taking part. The exercise began on Wednesday and will continue until September 28, with training being conducted at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan and Auli in Uttarakhand.
The dual-location format brings together two distinct operational environments. The Mahajan phase focuses on desert warfare and long-range fires, while Auli introduces high-altitude manoeuvre, difficult logistics and mountain warfare, RNA Media reported.
The exercise includes command post training, field training and a combined live-fire demonstration. The US Army has also brought its mobile low, slow, small unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (MLIDS) to India for the first time, adding a counterdrone element to the bilateral exercise.
The participation of Rice, Victor, Zac and Rowdy adds a specialized human-animal dimension to the wider India-US training. Their drills show how military dogs continue to work alongside soldiers in roles ranging from explosive detection to specialized tactical operations.