The Indian Air Force responded swiftly as per standard operating procedures. (Representative)
New Delhi:
A Chinese Air Force aircraft took off very close to a friction point in the Eastern Ladakh sector along the Line of Actual Control in the last week of June, prompting the Indian Air Force to respond rapidly as per standard operating procedures.
Sources told news agency ANI that the incident happened one day in the last week of June at around 4 am and when the aircraft was spotted by men on the ground and also picked up by indigenous radars deployed in the border area.
Sources said that soon after the possible airspace violation was detected, the assets of the Indian Air Force were activated as per standard operating procedures.
Sources told news agency ANI that the incident took place at a time when the Chinese side is conducting exercises involving its fighter jets and air defense weapons, including the S-400 air defense system, in areas bordering the eastern Ladakh sector.
The Chinese have a large number of fighter jets and unmanned aircraft deployed in positions near Indian territory, including the major airfields at Hotan and Gar Gunsa, which have been highly upgraded during the past two years. .
ANI reported that it was during one such war on the Chinese side in 2020 when the People’s Liberation Army diverted its troops in large numbers to Indian posts in eastern Ladakh, which led to several face-offs and physical fights in the area .
Sources said that the issue of the aircraft coming close to Indian posts was taken up with the Chinese under the East Developed Mechanism and there has been no incident after that.
Sources clarified that the particular incident was not very serious but such incidents should be avoided by the other side as it could lead to possible escalation.
Sources said that the aircraft came very close to areas on the LAC where there has been a confrontation between the Indian and Chinese sides during the ongoing military standoff between the two sides since May 2020.
Sources told ANI that the Indian Army and Air Force have since strengthened their positions and the entire Ladakh sector has been strengthened to such an extent that the adversaries cannot even think of unilaterally changing the status quo on the LAC. .
Even though the Chinese have been illegally developing infrastructure in their occupied territories opposite the Ladakh sector, India has taken measures to build facilities for large-scale deployment at short notice.
The infrastructure, including roads, has been developed extensively in Ladakh to make it easier for soldiers to reach the frontline in less time than before.
The Northern Command in charge of the Ladakh sector in the Indian Army has been provided with all possible firepower and manpower to deal with the threat from the Chinese side.
Similarly, the Western Air Command in-charge of the region has been given all major assets, including Rafale fighter jets, by the Indian Air Force to deal with any eventuality.
The Indian Air Force or IAF regularly flies over the eastern Ladakh sector to keep an eye on the area where the actual alignment of the LAC is not agreed upon between the two sides at many places.
The issue is further complicated by the Chinese military’s policy of “going forward” to illegally occupy areas along its borders with various neighbors.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)