According to Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, if the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jets get too close to the border, the Indian Air Force quickly responds by scrambling its combat aircraft to deal with the issue. This is before the military talks.
The statement made by the head of the Indian Air Force to ANI in an exclusive interview comes on the same day when China and India are holding their 16th round of Corps Commander talks, and just before that, Chinese fighter jets repeatedly provoked India.
“We closely watch the operation of Chinese planes. We scramble or raise the alert level of our aircraft whenever we notice Chinese aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft approaching the LAC too closely. This has significantly discouraged them, “In an interview with ANI, Chaudhari stated.
He responded, “I cannot point to any particular reason why they are doing it but we are monitoring it and we take quick action by scrambling our fighter jets there,” when asked why the Chinese Air Force was attempting to antagonise India right before negotiations.
According to the IAF Commander, after the Galwan incident in June 2020, “In the eastern Ladakh region, we had already begun placing our radars along the LAC. To be able to track the aviation activity throughout the LAC, we gradually integrated all of these radars with our Integrated Air Command and Control System.”
According to Chaudhari, the Air Force has also expanded the number of mobile observation posts in that region and improved surface-to-air-ground weapon capabilities along the northern frontiers.
“The army and other agencies stationed there provide us with a wealth of information. We closely monitor the operation of Chinese planes, “added he.
The first significant air violation occurred in June of last year when a Chinese Air Force J-11 fighter aircraft flew dangerously close to a flashpoint where the two military collided.
The Chinese side has engaged in many provocative actions along the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh sector over the last week as well, flying very close to the LAC in violation of the confidence-building measures that forbid both sides from flying closer than 10 km to the LAC.
To counter the threat posed by the Chinese aircraft and prepare for the likelihood of any mishap on the Chinese side, the Indian Air Force has scrambled its MiG-29 and other aircraft stationed in the area.
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