LAC STAND-OFF
IAF
Special
Su-30 MKI are flying regular sorties over the lac
INDIA-CHINA FACE OFF — AIR OPERATIONS IN LADAKH Operations in Ladakh could include full spectrum of air operations namely counter air strikes against Chinese airfields; destruction of enemy aircraft in the air and air defence of Indian assets.
Photograph: IAF
By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd) With little follow-on action by China after several meetings at diplomatic and military levels, the two armed forces continue to be eye-ball to eye-ball across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Indian Army (IA) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have always been operationally alert in Ladakh ever since the Siachen glacier became the world’s highest battlefield in 1984. While the IA does its winter stocking in summer through the two major road axes, one via Drass–Kargil and the second via Manali, the IAF airlifts close to 30,000 tonnes of load annually for the IA. With the IA strength increasing nearly fourfold due to the very active LAC, the requirement of weapons, ammunition and maintenance in Ladakh has gone up considerably. Once major passes close during winter and road access is not available for nearly five months, the air maintenance requirements will increase phenomenally. Also, the IAF will have to logistically support its own assets whose deployment has increased considerably. There is a need analyse the types of air operations that would be required in region.
siasts. Most of these are from open sources. Indian Defence satellites controlled by India’s Defence Space Agency (DSA) in close coordination with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), would be feeding satellite imagery of the areas across the LAC and also of Chinese airfields, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) formations and logistics nodes of interest to the IA and the IAF. Also in use would be Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to gather intelligence. IAF’s Jaguars and Su-30 have significant ISR capability and those would be employed to get tactical information. ISR assets are also required to confirm compliance of various border-related agreements. NTRO assets would be employed for Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) and Signal Intelligence (SIGINT). IAF also has its ELINT platforms. IA and other agencies such as RAW and IB would use assets for Human Intelligence (HUMINT). With Chinese often going back on their commitments, India’s approach would have to be “Don’t Trust, First Verify, Then Double-Check, and Yet be Operationally Prepared.”
INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE (ISR) One can see a large number of satellite pictures of the Galwan area that are being put out on social media by individual enthu-
FIGHTER OPERATIONS The Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage 2000 and LCA of the IAF are technically cleared to operate from Leh and airfields at high
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ISSUE 9 • 2020
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