Air force flies night patrols in E Ladakh
SECURITY BOLSTERED MiG-29 jets, Sukhoi 30s, Apache and Chinook choppers among the platforms undertaking night missions
NEW DELHI: As a part of the disengagement process, agreed upon by both the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA, a 4-km buffer zone is being created at key friction points in eastern Ladakh, according to officials involved in the decision-making process.
For a period of three to four weeks, there will be no patrolling by either of the armies in these buffer zones, said one of the officials. Experts have said this halt in Indian patrolling in areas where it used to patrol before the build-up and incursion, is meant to avoid a face-off .
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is projecting its capabilities of carrying out day-andnight, all-weather combat missions in Ladakh, with front-line fighter jets, attack helicopters, and multi-mission choppers getting airborne for demanding night-time missions from a forward airbase in the area, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. This comes even as the Indian and Chinese armies have kicked off a complex disengagement process to defuse tensions along the Line of Actual Control in the region.
MiG-29 fighter jets, Sukhoi30s, Apache AH-64E attack helicopters, and CH-47F (I) Chinook multi-mission choppers are among the platforms undertaking night missions in the mountainous terrain, said one of the persons cited above.
Chinese troops on Monday withdrew up to 1.5km from key friction points in eastern Ladakh to mark the beginning of an agreement between India and China on the disengagement.
The border standoff between the two countries that began in early May escalated when 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops were killed in a clash in Ladakh on June 15.
Former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major (retd), said the force is sending out a message to the adversary that it has exploited the full capabilities of its platforms that can be assigned to undertake “allweather, all-terrain and day/ night missions” in the Ladakh theatre. “The message is that we have the capability and it can be used as and when required,” he said.
Centre for Air Power Studies additional director general, Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), said any professional force has to be ready to fight 24x7.
“Earlier, there were limitations of aircraft that prevented flying in the hills at night but now they have been mostly overcome. The night flying activity seen in Ladakh is part of IAF training to keep the skills of pilots and other personnel honed,” said Bahadur, a former helicopter pilot who has carried out night flying in the area.
“The challenges in those hills are many, especially illusions caused due to hill shadows and faulty depth perceptions that are overcome with experience.”
A second person said while the disengagement is underway, the armed forces are keeping their guard up and advancing with maximum caution with IAF’s forward air bases continuing to be on their highest state of alert to deal with any Chinese provocation.
The Chinese People’s Liberation
Army has withdrawn from friction areas in the Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Gogra along LAC.
The Indian Army has pulled back proportionately, acting on an understanding reached last week by top Indian and Chinese military commanders, as reported by HT on Tuesday. Some thinning of PLA soldiers has also been noticed at the sensitive Finger Area near Pangong Tso.
IAF has played a key role in the Ladakh sector since the border tensions began. Its C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft have been used to move soldiers, tanks, and infantry combat vehicles to the sector. C-130J Super Hercules aircraft have undertaken sorties to the advanced landing ground in the strategic Daulat Beg Oldie sector to support the military’s forward deployments, the people said. The new inductions--the Apache attack and Chinook multi-mission helicopters-have significantly enhanced IAF’s capabilities, the people added.
The defence ministry last week approved the purchase of weapons and ammunition worth ₹38,900 crore, including 33 new fighter jets for the IAF, which is grappling with a shortage of warplanes.
FORMER INDIAN AIR FORCE CHIEF, AIR CHIEF MARSHAL FALI H MAJOR (RETD), SAID THE FORCE IS SENDING OUT A MESSAGE TO THE ADVERSARY THAT IT HAS EXPLOITED THE FULL CAPABILITIES OF ITS PLATFORMS