New Delhi: Indian Air Force chief VR Chaudhari on Sunday said that he cannot point to any particular reason why Chinese aircraft were coming close to LAC in eastern Ladakh, where India and China have been locked in a dispute for over two years now.
Reports suggest that China is building new air bases and maintaining 20 plus fighter jets near Ladakh. Earlier, news agency ANI reported that a Chinese fighter jet flew close to the friction point on LAC in East Ladakh last month.
Today, the IAF chief in an interview to ANI said that air activity across LAC is continuously monitored by the Indian Air Force. “Whenever we find Chinese aircraft coming a little too close to LAC, we take appropriate measures by scrambling our fighters and putting our systems on high alert. This has deterred them,” he said.
Responding to a question on reasons behind recent provocations by the Chinese at LAC, he said he can’t point to any particular reason “why they are doing it”. “We are monitoring it and we take immediate action by scrambling our fighters there,” he said.
The air chief also talked about the threat of multiple fronts, a new recruitment scheme, and the procurement of the air defence system from Russia.
Chaudhari said the threat of multiple fronts always exists and that the capability of the Air Force in handling two fronts at one time will have to keep getting bolstered by the induction of various platforms. “We will need more radars, SAGW (Surface-to-Air Guided Weapons) systems, and all of these will come from indigenous sources,” he said.
On the aircraft front, he said, the air force is looking ahead for the AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft), LCA Mark-IA, and LAC Mark-II a few years from now. “The case for 114 MRFA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) is also progressing well. With this, it will not only strengthen the IAF but also will be a huge boost for the Indian aviation industry,” he said. “For AMCA, we have committed 7 squadrons. The numbers for LAC Mark-II, we will take a call on it when the first production model comes,” he added.
Speaking on the Russian S-400 air defence system, the air chief said the induction program is going as per schedule. “The first firing unit has been inducted and deployed. The second unit is also in the process of getting inducted. Delivery schedules on time, hopeful that by next year all deliveries will be completed,” he added.
In October 2018, India signed a contract with Russia for the supply of the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system.
On the new recruitment scheme, the air chief said that they have received 7.5 lakh applications under Agnipath. “This shows the keenness of the youth to join the armed forces. The big challenge lies in finishing the selection process on time to start training in December,” he added.
