Air Marshal SP Dharkar said that the Indian Air Force is working on being able to use any airfield in the eastern part of the country, even private ones, because there aren’t enough of them.
As a way to better protect the country’s airspace and borders, he said, the Eastern Air Command is putting every new technology to use.
“There are a lot of airports near us.” It is possible for us to use every airport in this area, and we are working to make that possible, Dharkar told reporters here on Sunday.
He also said that the IAF is getting better at being able to use a private airfield, a military airfield, or even an advanced landing ground if they need to.
“We have that ability, and we still have that plan.” “Things are getting better all the time in that area,” said Air Marshal Dharkar, who is in charge of Eastern Air Command.
He said that because of this plan, the IAF will also have enough airfields in this area, just like “any other neighboring country.”
When asked about the IAF’s Eastern Command’s strides in technology, Air Marshal Dharkar said, “As and when new technologies are invented, we are bringing them here.” This part of India is part of the Integrated Air Command and Control System that is used all over the country. “The air command system is also run by two nodes here,” he said.
When asked about the idea of having a second base for Rafale jets in this area, he explained that having an aircraft base means having a place to keep the planes during downtime so they can be used for training and practice.
“The air force is the only one that can use an airplane and be able to control it from anywhere.” In this way, we can quickly move an airplane from one air base to the other. “We can move an airplane very quickly within a certain zone or region,” he said.
If needed, Air Marshal Dharkar said, the whole set of weapons the air force has anywhere in the country can be brought to this area.
“We have two groups of Rafale.” He said, “If the need arises, I am sure that the Air Headquarters would answer the call and station a second Rafale squadron here if that is what is needed to give us the level of security that we need at that time.”
An air force station in Haryana is home to the first Rafale unit, and an air base in West Bengal is home to the second. A squadron is made up of about 18 planes.
When asked about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Dharkar said, “There are some differences and some similarities (with India’s Eastern Air Command).” With Nepal, China, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh all around, this is the only air command with five countries nearby. “This border is very far apart, and the ground is anywhere from sea level to 20,000 feet high.” “So, it comes with its own problems,” he said.
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