IAF actively monitoring Chinese drone activities in North-East, fighter aircraft on alert to prevent air space violations
Dec 01, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 1 : The Indian Air Force is keeping a close watch on Chinese drone activities along the Line of Actual Control in the North-East as on many occasions they have tried to fly towards the Indian territory along the Line of Actual Control.
"The IAF keeps a close watch on the flying activities in the North-East with its bolstered radar network in the region. Generally, the situation is peaceful but there have been occasions in the recent past when Chinese drones have flown towards the LAC from their side and IAF fighter jets had to be scrambled from our frontline airbases there including the Su-30MKIs," defence sources told ANI.
The actions have to be taken as the drones or any aircraft can not be allowed to violate airspace, they said.
The sources said if the drones are flying parallel to the LAC, India as per the agreements between the two sides does not have any issues with it but if the aircraft or drones are picked up by radars flying towards Indian territory, it is necessary actions have to be taken to prevent any violation, they said.
The Indian Air Force has a strong presence in the North-East with squadrons of Su-30 fighter jets deployed at multiple locations including Tezpur and Chhabra in Assam.
The Rafale combat jets have also been deployed very close to Hashimara in West Bengal.
The Indian Air Force has also strengthened its air defence coverage in the area with the operationalisation of the S-400 air defence system in the Assam sector only. The system can take care of any aerial threat over the almost entire area.
The Chinese and Indian sides recently agreed on multiple measures to prevent any aerial escalation after the violation of air space by the Chinese in the Ladakh sector earlier this year.
After the provocations by the Chinese in the area, the Indian side strongly took up the issue at military talks and it was decided that the fighter aircraft of both sides would remain much behind their perceived Line of Actual Control in the area.
The drones of the two sides, however, are allowed to fly in forward locations to keep a watch on each other's activities.
The Indian Air Force has also upgraded its monitoring capabilities with a number of new radars installed in high-altitude areas of Ladakh. It is also in the process of increasing radar coverage by ordering new and more capable made in Indi radars built by both private and public sector units.
