Indian Air Force plugging gaps to thwart Chinese threat

With China lurking in the backyard, the Indian Air Force is desperately trying to fill the “voids and gaps” in the eastern theatre, while Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today saying attention was not paid to this vital sector.

This is the first time an Air Chief has candidly admitted about India’s fixation on the western sector, vis-a-vis Pakistan and the years of attention-deficit on the eastern sector.

He said the country was “concentrating on the western sector” and as such the “eastern sector didn’t get the attention,” so vital for the country’s security.

“We have voids and gaps in the our capabilities in the eastern sector,” Air Chief Marshal Raha said at the end of the two-day Commanders’ Conference at the Eastern Air Command (EAC) headquarters here.

What is worrying is the rapid infrastructure build-up of China for years now along India’s border, especially along Arunachal Pradesh. Civil airports have been integrated with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force for swifter combat capabilities. New airfields built and other modern infrastructure and equipment are already in place to give support to the Chinese men at the frontline.

But the good news is that after 60 odd years, India is finally going full steam to develop the eastern sector. The Air Chief said the EAC’s area of responsibility is one of the largest amongst other commands of the Air Force. So now a number of initiatives have been undertaken to develop it.

One of the gaps of this sector is the connectivity and also the ageing fleet of the IAF. Air Chief Marshal Raha said several Advance Landing Grounds are being built in the northeast and eastern India. Some of the other initiatives include building of hangars and “assets” that would enhance the maneuvering capabilities of the Indian Air Force.

“We are upgrading our infrastructure and equipments in the eastern sector,” the Air Chief said. Moreover, there are induction plans for new fleet.

He said the country "urgently" requires new generation fighter aircrafts and the induction of 36 Rafale fighter jets, once the deal is finalized with France, would “fill some void” in the Air Force.

Commenting on the Tejas, which is being built indigenously, the Air Chief, said, the Tejas "may not be the best in the world" in its category, but their induction would also help the Air Force.

He said, in the next 15 years the Air Force’s ageing fleet comprising the MIGs, Jaguars and Mirage have to be replaced and therefore the “Make in India” initiative would go a long way in bridging this gap.