The Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct a two-day exercise in the Northeast involving almost all of its frontline fighter jets and other assets stationed in the region, amid renewed tensions between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector following last week’s clash.
According to sources, the exercise is intended to assess the IAF’s overall combat capability and military preparedness in the region.
They claim, however, that the exercise was planned long before the clash between the Indian and Chinese armies and has nothing to do with the incident.
According to the sources, the exercise will include the IAF’s frontline fighter jets, including Sukhoi-30MKIs and Rafale jets, as well as several other platforms deployed in the region.
According to a source, the exercise will include all frontline air bases as well as some key Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in the Northeast.
According to the sources, the top brass of the Eastern Air Command will also conduct a thorough review of the IAF’s readiness in the region in light of the overall security matrix.
Following the eastern Ladakh dispute, the Army and IAF have maintained a high level of operational readiness along the Line of Actual Control with China in the Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors for over two years.
The IAF scrambled fighter jets last week in response to China’s increased air activities on its side of the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector.
According to sources, China’s deployment of some aerial platforms, including drones, in the region preceded Chinese attempts on December 9 to unilaterally change the status quo in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector.
According to them, a number of Chinese drones flew near the LAC, prompting the IAF to scramble the jets and increase overall combat readiness.
The Indian Army said on Monday that troops from both sides clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector, resulting in “minor injuries” to a few personnel from both sides.
The clash occurred amid a 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Tuesday that Indian troops bravely thwarted the Chinese PLA’s attempt to “unilaterally” change the status in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector, with no fatalities or serious casualties among the Indian troops.
“On December 9, PLA troops tried to transgress the LAC in Yangtse area of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner,” Singh stated.
“The ensuing face off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” he said.
In October of last year, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brief clash near Yangtse, which was resolved following talks between the two sides’ local commanders in accordance with established protocols.
Meanwhile, an old video purportedly showing clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC has gone viral on social media.
The video has emerged in the aftermath of the December 9 incident. The video, according to officials, is old.