New Delhi
The IAF’s operational plans are very dynamic and it will deal with challenges along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through better tactics and training in places where it cannot counter thenumbers or the might of the adversary, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Tuesday, amid the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh.
The Chief of Air Staff, addressing a press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8, asserted that the IAF will continue to remain deployed along the frontier in the region till complete disengagement takes place in the remaining contested areas. Giving details of steps being taken to bolster the Indian Air Force’s operational prowess, he said a contract to procure 97 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft at a cost of around Rs 1.15 lakh crore will be concluded soon. In February 2021, Defence Ministry sealed a Rs 48,000-crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to procure 83 such jets. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the IAF is looking at inducting military platforms, equipment and defence hardware worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore to Rs 3 lakh crore in the next seven-eight years. To a question on China’s rapid expansion of military infrastructure and enhancing deployment of air assets along the LAC, he said the IAF is constantly monitoring the situation across the borders through ISR (Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) mechanisms. We make note of the build-up of resources and capabilities across the borders. Our operational plans are very dynamic and keep changing based on the situation that we perceive that is developing across any front, he said. So in places where we cannot really counter the numbers or the might of the adversary, we will counter it through better tactics and through better training, he said.
