Itanagar, Jan 22: As tensions between India and China alongside the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh have these days risen, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct a massive exercise covering the Northeastern region early next month to assess its combat readiness.
According to people familiar with the situation, the IAF’s frontline fighter jets, together with the Rafale and Su-30MKIaircraft as well as other assets stationed in the area will participate in the exercise named “Poorvi Aakash”. The exercise will be conducted by Eastern Air Command, which is based in Shillong.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) official informed that “Eastern Air Command can be undertaking its annual Command-level exercise during the first week of February.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this exercise is being conducted after a two-year-long break.
“The exercise will involve the activation of the command’s fighter, helicopter and transport assets towards the routine practice of aerial drills, including joint exercises,” the official said.
After Indian and Chinese forces clashed at Yangtse on December 9 in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh’s Line of Actual Control (LAC), tensions between the two countries have accentuated.
The Indian Army forced the Chinese troops to retreat with its firm and resolute response, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who made the statement in Parliament on 13Decemberafter that the Chinese troops attempted to “unilaterally” change the status quo in the Yangtse area.
The incident happened in the midst of the over 31-month-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh.
The exercise is expected to involve every frontline air base in the Northeast as well as some significant Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs).
Since the eastern Ladakh dispute, the army and the IAF have kept a high level of operational readiness along the LAC with China in the Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors.
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India- China dispute over LAC in Arunachal
The India-China border dispute withinside the state of Arunachal Pradesh has been ongoing for several decades. In recent years, there were numerous times of tensions and standoffs among Indian and Chinese military forces in the region.
In 2017, there was a face-off between the two sides in the Doklam plateau, which is located in the tri-junction of India, China, and Bhutan.
The standoff was resolved after 73 days, but there have been other reports of incursions and military activity in the area since then.
The situation has been further complicated by the fact that China has been building infrastructure and increasing its military presence in the region. India has also been strengthening its own military capabilities in the area and has been developing infrastructure to improve connectivity and access to the region.
The Indian government has been trying to resolve the border dispute through diplomatic channels, but so far, no definitive solution has been reached. The border dispute remains a source of tension between the two countries, and the situation in Arunachal Pradesh continues to be closely monitored by both sides.
