Tawang, Dec 15: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will carry out a two-day exercise withinside the Northeast involving almost all its frontline fighter jets and different assets deployed withinside the region amid the fresh tensions among Indian and Chinese troops withinside the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh following the last week’s face-off in the area.
Sources stated the exercise is aimed at checking the IAF’s overall combat capability and military preparedness in the region.
They, however, stated the exercise was planned much before the face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies and it is not related to the incident.
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The sources stated IAF’s frontline fighter jets which include Sukhoi-30MKIs and Rafale jets may be a part of the exercise besides several other platforms deployed in the region.
All frontline air bases and a few key Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) withinside the Northeast are set to be concerned withinside the workout, stated a source.
The source also stated the top brass of the Eastern Air Command will also undertake a comprehensive review of the IAF’s preparedness in the region in view of the overall security matrix.
The Army and IAF had been retaining an excessive state of operational readiness alongside the Line of Actual Control with China withinside the Arunachal Pradesh and the Sikkim region for years following the eastern Ladakh row.
The IAF scrambled fighter jets last week following China’s growing air sports on its facet of the LAC withinside the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh.
The deployment of a few aerial structures which include drones through China withinside the vicinity preceded the Chinese tries on December 9 to unilaterally alternate the popularity quo withinside the Yangtse region of the Tawang region, source stated.
They said a number of Chinese drones flew close to the LAC prompting the IAF to scramble the jets and increase the overall combat readiness.
On Monday, the Indian Army stated troops from the two sides clashed alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) withinside the Tawang region and the face-off brought about “minor injuries” to 3 employees from each side.
The face-off came about amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh instructed Parliament on Tuesday that the Indian troops bravely thwarted the strive through the Chinese PLA from “unilaterally” converting the popularity in the Yangtse region of the Tawang region and there had been no fatalities or extreme casualties to the Indian troops withinside the scuffle.
“On December 9, PLA troops attempted to transgress the LAC withinside the Yangtse region of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The Chinese strive changed into contested through our troops in a corporation and resolute manner,” Singh stated.
“The ensuing face-off brought about a physical scuffle wherein the Indian Army bravely avoided the PLA from transgressing into our territory and pressured them to go back to their posts,” he stated.
Indian and Chinese troops had been engaged in a short face-off close to Yangtse in October last year as nicely and it changed into resolved following talks among nearby commanders of the 2 facets according to installed protocols.
Meanwhile, an antique video of clashes among Indian and Chinese troops alongside the LAC purportedly has long gone viral on social media.
The video has surfaced withinside the backdrop of the December 9 incident. Officials stated the video is old.
