Presence of Chinese Air Force in Tibet Increases, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa Expresses Concern
The Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Thursday said that there was a ‘significant increase’ in the presence Chinese aircraft and aircrew in the Tibet Autonomous region
New Delhi, April 27: The Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Thursday said that there was a ‘significant increase’ in the presence Chinese aircraft and aircrew in the Tibet Autonomous region as compared to any other military region. This statement of the Chief of Air Staff comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in China for a two-day meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While speaking at a talk on the role of the IAF in the changing security environment conducted by the Vivekananda International Foundation, Dhanoa said, “Over the past few years we have seen a significant increase in aircraft and aircrew in the Tibet Autonomous Region from other military regions. The deployment of Sukhoi-27 and J-10 fleets for continuous operations during winter months affords them a credible year-round capability. Earlier, many years back they only used to occupy the airfields during the summers,” reported The Economic Times. Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa also warned India to be prepared according to the preparations of the rival country.
The IAF chief also highlighted the improvement made by the Chinese Air Force. According to Dhanoa, China has developed a modern air force which believes in quality rather than quantity and still it is the second largest air force. Elaborating more on the capabilities of the Chinese Air Force Dhanoa said that China had a credible mix of multi-role fighter and combat aircraft. The IAF Chief also stressed on the fact that the geography of Tibet worked against the Chinese Air Forces as it has an operational disadvantage due to high altitude and cold temperatures.
The Chief of Air Staff Also highlighted the growing strength of the Indian Air Force, but at the same time, he stressed on the fact that the IAF needs to acquire its full strength of 42 squadrons to compete with the growing strength of the neighbour country’s air power. Presently the Indian Air Force has 31 fighter squadrons.
The Air Chief hailed the recently concluded IAF’s war-like exercise ‘Gagan-Shakti 2018’ as it met the objectives of the force. According to Dhanoa both India and China never violated the airspace.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2018 09:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).