NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria said Tuesday that the situation along the India-China border was “no war, no peace,” but that the army was prepared. for any eventuality.
The “current security scenario along our northern borders is in an uncomfortable state of neither war nor peace. Our defense forces are prepared for any eventuality,” said the IAF chief.
Tens of thousands of Indian and Chinese soldiers are locked in a clash in eastern Ladakh, the most serious since the 1962 conflict.
Tensions between New Delhi and Beijing have been simmering since May, when India first detected multiple Chinese military intrusions in Ladakh. The Indian government also noted a significant military build-up across the border within Chinese territory, which included air defense systems, tanks, fighter jets and missiles in addition to troops.
On June 15, soldiers from the two countries participated in a violent confrontation in which 20 Indian troops and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed. Tensions flared again in late August when India took advantageous positions on some mountainous features in Ladakh in a preemptive move. Chinese and Indian troops fired warning shots in September in at least two cases, the first in 45 years.
The “no war, no peace” situation appears to have occurred after the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Moscow on September 10. The military commanders of the two countries have met once since then and more meetings are expected in the coming days. But New Delhi is preparing for a prolonged troop deployment in the Ladakh heights.
It is in this context that the role of the Indian Air Force becomes critical, transporting supplies and other essential elements as well as guarding against any air attack.
In his comments, Bhadauria said that the recent induction of the Rafale jets along with the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, as well as the Chinook and Apache helicopters, have provided the IAF with substantial tactical and strategic capability.
“Air power will be a crucial enabler in our victory in any future conflict. It is therefore imperative that the IAF gain and maintain a technological advantage over our adversaries,” he told a conference on the Indian aerospace industry.
India installed five of 36 French-made Rafale multi-role fighter jets at the IAF on September 10 and the planes have been conducting sorties into eastern Ladakh.
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