China cannot beat India in any conflict and the air force, with its adversary deterrence capacity and intention, is ready to handle any contingency, Indian Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria said on Monday, even as he acknowledged the strengths of the Chinese air force and offered a comprehensive description of how the IAF would counter it.
When asked if the IAF was ready to take on China in the Ladakh theater, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said: “Of course we are. It is not about not taking the threat there. We are very well positioned there and China cannot beat us in any conflict scenario there. “He said that India was fully prepared for a two-front war with China and Pakistan. The chief of the air force answered questions from reporters during his annual press conference ahead of IAF Day on October 8.
The IAF chief said that this was not to underestimate the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), as it had made huge investments in “technology, systems and numbers.” He also spoke about the IAF’s evaluation of the Chinese fifth-generation J-20 fighter jet, calling it “work in progress.”
“Their strength lies in the amount of surface-to-air systems they have deployed in that area and long-distance weapons launched from the air. Everything we take care of in our matrix and we make sure that we are in a position to not only assume its strengths, but also deploy our offensive action accordingly, ”said Bhadauria, responding to a question from the Hindustan Times.
“What we do is integrate our systems and train ourselves to handle such threats based on our assessment. Everything is a combination of training, systems and integration and then the area in which we are going to implement ”, he said.
He added that the PLAAF J-20 was a fifth-generation fighter, with advanced sensors and the latest technologies, but its engine technology was not yet fifth-generation.
The IAF chief, without giving operational details, has explicitly stated that the IAF is well deployed to deal with any threats, said Deputy Air Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general of the Center for Aerial Energy Studies.
“He also recognized that no adversary can be taken lightly and that indicates a professional approach to a serious challenge that may come our way,” added Bahadur.
When asked if the IAF had come close to launching airstrikes on Chinese targets after the June 15 skirmish in the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, Bhadauria said: “No. But we were prepared for it. ”
The IAF chief said how things develop in the Ladakh sector will depend on the outcome of ongoing talks that are currently progressing slowly.
“What we see is an increase in the effort to dig during the winter in terms of forces on the ground and the deployment of air assets. We hope that the talks move in the right direction, ”he said.
Responding to a question on the DBO airstrip in eastern Ladakh, the IAF chief said it was a “great threat” to the Chinese, as India had the ability to operate aircraft so close to the Line of Control. Real (LAC).
On China’s use of air bases in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir, including Skardu, and the possibility of a war on two fronts, the IAF chief said: “Whether China will use Skardu is an open question. But if China needs Pakistan’s help to fight us, I have nothing to say. If China uses Skardu and we are in conflict with China, then it is a collusive threat. And we will deal with it accordingly, ”said Bhadauria. He said the IAF was prepared for any kind of conventional conflict, including a two-front war. “We have full capacity for a war on two fronts,” he said.
Early in his keynote address, the IAF chief said that the integration of the Rafale fighter jets brought a platform armed with advanced weapons, sensors and technologies that gave the IAF an operational and technological advantage.
“Combined with the enhanced operational capabilities of our current combat fleet, it gives us the ability to fire first and strike deep and hard, even in contested airspace,” said the IAF chief.
India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016, of which five have arrived. The IAF is operating its Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh theater, where the army is on high alert.
“Our immediate offensive deployment of combat-ready units in response to the confrontation throughout LAC in the north is indicative of our operational status. We are determined to handle any contingency; no doubt our ability and intention would deter him. Our airlift capacity was also focused as we supported the Indian Army in the rapid mobilization of troops and equipment to operational areas at a pace that our adversary did not expect, ”said Bhadauria.
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