Updated: September 28, 2020 11:17:06 am
An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster flies over the Ladakh region. (PTI photo)
With a resolution to the confrontation in LAC still elusive, the Indian Army is preparing for an extended deployment of troops to the region during the winter months. This leaves the IAF with a key role in providing support to the troops. What are the challenges to face in the harsh winter and difficult terrain?
Can the IAF support the logistics of such a large force?
Part of the Army’s logistics requires ground transportation, which would have been planned before winter arrives and the passes are closed. The IAF will carry out very urgent missions, for which it is well prepared with a very good transport fleet made up of C-17 Globemasters, Il-76s and many An-32s. If it’s the crisis, the C-130 Super Hercules can also be used for logistical support, although these are intended for special operations.
We also have Mi-17 helicopters and Cheetal light helicopters to service the outposts. In addition, Chinook heavy lift helicopters will be used to carry bulky cargo, either inside the fuselage or hung below it.
Air Vice Marshal (retired) Manmohan Bahadur is an IAF veteran and currently Additional Director General, Center for Air Energy Studies, New Delhi. Commissioned in the IAF in 1976, he commanded the 114th Helicopter Unit in Leh and the Air Force flight bases in Jammu and Guwahati. He was the first pilot to land on the Siachen Glacier in September 1978, six years before Operation Meghdoot was launched. He has been Head of Training at the Higher School of Defense Services. He served as Deputy Chief of Air Staff in charge of transport and helicopter operations and transferred to the HQ Integrated Defense General Staff prior to his retirement in May 2011.
What are the topographic challenges of flying to Leh or other advanced landing fields (ALGs) in eastern Ladakh?
The biggest challenge is the altitude of the two airfields at Leh and Thoise, but as we have been flying there for decades, the aircrew is well aware of the peculiarities of these fields.
High altitude landing fields have their own challenges, resulting in a reduction in the cargo capacity of aircraft / helicopters. Additionally, the aircrew has to call on their skills to navigate the hills and land on the small matchbox-like helipads; There is simply no place on these hills to make bigger ones!
What additional dangers will winter bring?
The bad weather that accompanies the western unrest that plagues northern India in the winter months is challenging as it reduces visibility and results in a low cloud base. Therefore, the crew must be vigilant to ensure that they can find a way around the bad weather. This is not always possible and we have long periods in which flights have to be reduced.
And what effect does extreme cold have on weight-carrying planes?
The lower the temperature, the better the payload because the higher density of the air increases the lifting capacity of the flying machines. Therefore, the loads that can be transported during the winter are greater than during the summer.
This is a great advantage. For example, an Il-76, which in summer can barely carry cargo from Leh, can fly around 20 tons in winter. The same is true for helicopters, whose capacity to carry cargo to extremely high heliports at altitudes of 17,000 to 20,000 feet increases substantially in winter. And it is drastically reduced in summer.
An Indian Air Foce Su-30MKI jet flies over Ladakh. (PTI photo)
Does the high altitude and topography present a challenge for navigation and night flight?
The modern navigation equipment available now overcomes most challenges. But mission fulfillment is not simply flying from location A to B. The plane has to land to complete a mission. That’s where temperature and altitude plus weather become the final referees.
Navigation is not a problem, but takeoffs and landings are complicated.
As for night flight, it has its own unique challenges due to the shadows cast by the hills, as well as the state and position of the moon in relation to the hills and the plane. A dark, moonless night poses its own challenges and the full moon poses its own. In the hills, the aircrew is specially trained to carry out operations at night.
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Do Ladakh airfields restrict operations to only certain aircraft or can all aircraft be used?
All airfields in the Ladakh area can be used by the transport aircraft we have, although the weather requirements will vary from aircraft to aircraft. It depends on the navigation aids on board the aircraft and the competence of the crew. That is why aircrews are detailed based on mission.
On a long haul, or in the event of a kinetic war, the IAF will also have to transport mechanized weapons, etc. for repair, maintenance, etc. Can our aircraft profile satisfy you?
Retrieving cargo from forward airfields is not a problem. However, that needs to be prioritized with regard to personnel, victims, and vital equipment like avionics.
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What kind of logistical support in terms of fuel, repair, etc. does the IAF require for such an operation?
All airfields have sufficient stock of fuel, oil and lubricants (FOL) for which detailed planning is carried out 24 hours a day. There is a well-oiled logistics chain that has been refined by the IAF in the last six to seven decades of operation. The Army Service Corps (ASC) also plays an important role in grounding fuel at outposts. It puts aviation turbine fuel in barrels in advanced fields, while Leh and Thoise have fuel arcs.
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What is the threat to aircraft when ground forces are face to face?
The Leh and Thoise airfields that support fixed-wing operations (helicopters are rotary-wing aircraft) are relatively indoors so they are not vulnerable to any ground action. Of course, they can be attacked by the Air Force and other adversary air assets, but there are standard operating protocols to deal with such threats.
However, in ALG as Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), where helicopters fly close to the LAC, the aircrew is adept at taking tactical actions to face any threat from ground fire or shoulder-fired missiles. In this, the aids aboard the helicopters also play an important role.
Are there special challenges for fighter jets?
Fighters flying at these altitudes have their own special challenges due to their high speeds, reduced air density, the closeness of hilltops, and the fact that the targets are very small, including bunkers that have a limited number of troops.
Hitting those targets requires special weapons and aircrew ability. Fortunately, we have experienced it during Kargil, and I’m sure the lessons would have been passed down to the current band of fighter pilots.
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Where does Rafale fit in?
the Rafale It comes with its unique flight characteristics and weapons delivery payload, but one must remember that today’s combat is between systems, and not generally between one plane and another.
The Rafale would have been integrated into the air campaign plan carried out by the IAF to operate with other systems such as the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and electronic warfare assets (EW). Today, an individual weapons system is only as good as the overall war architecture that the force designs.
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