TEZPUR - Four frontline combat aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI were formally inducted in India’s sensitive northeastern region Monday, a strategic decision to move advanced assets close to the Chinese border, defence officials said.
A defence spokesperson said four multi-role strike fighter jets at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Tezpur, about 185 km north of Assam’s main city of Guwahati, would soon be part of a Sukhoi-30MKI squadron comprising of 18 aircrafts.
Due to bad weather there was no fly past of the Sukhois although there was a small symbolic ceremony to welcome the fighter jets and officials to the Tezpur base, an IAF official said.
Air Marshal S.K. Bhan, air officer commanding-in-chief of the Eastern Air Command, graced the function at the IAF base, although the media was kept out of bounds.
Capable of carrying nuclear weapons and tailor-made for Indian specifications, the Su-30 MKI is a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30 and is jointly-developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Corporation and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the IAF.
Tezpur has become the third dedicated Sukhoi-30MKI airbase in the country after Pune and Bareilly.
Currently, India operates five squadrons of this Russian-built fighter aircraft with three squadrons stationed at Lohegaon in Pune and two in Bareilly. Each squadron operates 18-20 aircraft.
The IAF plans to increase the strength of its Sukhoi fleet to nearly 200 over the next five years.
As of now five bases in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country, including Tezpur, Chabua, Jorhat (Assam), Panagarh (West Bengal) and Purnea (Bihar), are due for upgrades.
The decision to set up a squadron of the most potent fighter jet in service with the IAF follows repeated allegations of Chinese incursions in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in the last few years.
The IAF base at Tezpur is within striking distance from the Chinese border along Arunachal Pradesh.
According to union home ministry reports, there were about 270 ‘violations’ by China on India’s western, middle and eastern sectors in 2008, while there were 60 such incidents reported so far this year.
Beijing had in 2003 given up its territorial claim over the Indian state of Sikkim but was still holding on to its age old stand that a vast stretch of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to them.
The mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,030 km (650 mile) unfenced border with China.
The India-China border along Arunachal Pradesh is separated by the McMahon Line, an imaginary border that is now known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
India and China fought a bitter border war in 1962, with Chinese troops advancing deep into Arunachal Pradesh and inflicting heavy casualties on federal troops.
The border dispute with China was inherited by India from British colonial rulers, who hosted a 1914 conference with the Tibetan and Chinese governments that set the border in what is now Arunachal Pradesh.
China has never recognised the 1914 boundary, the McMahon Line, and claims 90,000 sq km (34,750 square miles) - nearly all - of Arunachal Pradesh. India also accuses China of occupying 8,000 sq km (14,670 square miles) in Kashmir.
Related News
Repeat of 1962 India-China war not possible: IAF chiefOctober 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - A repeat of the 1962 India-China war is not possible now as the Indian armed forces have enhanced their capability, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said Thursday.
IAF fleet 'inadequate' compared to China: IAF chiefSeptember 23rd, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - The strength of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is "inadequate", Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said Wednesday.
Old Mig-21 phaseout hit by fighter jet shortageSeptember 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - They have a poor safety record. But the Indian Air Force (IAF) is reluctant to phase out its old Soviet era warhorse MiG-21 due to the delay in inducting new and modern fighter jets.
Navy to get Black Panther squadron of MiG-29Ks by OctoberSeptember 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The squadron of the first four Russian-made Mig-29K/KUB fighter jets purchased for the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov will be inducted into the Indian Navy by October and will be called Black Panthers, officials here said. "Pilot training for the squadron was completed in the US and Russia.
Systems failure caused Sukhoi Su-30 crash: AntonyJuly 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30 combat jet in Rajasthan this April, the first accident involving the plane since it was inducted 12 years ago, was caused by the failure of its sophisticated fly-by-wire system, parliament was informed Wednesday. The preliminary investigation into the accident reveal that the reason for the crash...
Black box of crashed Sukhoi combat jet badly damaged: MinisterJuly 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The black box of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30 combat jet that crashed in April has been "badly damaged" and efforts are underway to retrieve the data contained in it, the Rajya Sabha was informed Wednesday. "The black box has been badly damaged.
Sukhoi Su-30 jet crash raises heat in Rajya SabhaJuly 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The crash of an Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 combat jet in Rajasthan this April, the first accident involving the plane since it was inducted 12 years ago, generated much heat in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday, prompting Defence Minister A.K. Antony to intervene and state that the IAF was "very happy" with the aircraft.
Sukhoi Su-30s formally inducted in northeast (Lead)June 15th, 2009 TEZPUR/NEW DELHI - Four front-line Sukhoi combat jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were formally inducted in the sensitive northeastern region Monday as part of a strategic deployment of advanced assets close to the Chinese border, defence officials said. The four multi-role strike Su-30MKI fighters will be based at Tezpur, about 185 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati, with the strength of the squadron gradually being raised to 18 aircraft.
Countering China: First four Sukhoi fighters land at TezpurJune 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Four frontline Sukhoi Su-30 MKI combat jets landed Friday at the Tezpur airbase in Assam as part of the defence ministry's efforts to beef up India's military presence along the border with China in the northeast. The aircraft will be formally inducted into service June 15, with the strength of the squadron eventually ramped up to 18 jets.
India to deploy additional troops along China borderJune 9th, 2009 ITANAGAR - India will deploy additional army troops and build infrastructure, including airstrips, along its international border with China, said Arunachal Pradesh Governor General (retd) J.J. Singh. "To develop India's capability to effectively meet the future security challenges, deployment of more troops along the India-China border is necessary," the former army chief told reporters here Monday.
IAF moving Sukhoi base to northeast to thwart Chinese threatJune 9th, 2009 TEZPUR - A squadron of the frontline combat aircraft Sukhoi 30- MKI would become operational in India's sensitive northeast next week, a strategic decision to move advanced assets close to the Chinese border, defence officials said Tuesday. A defence spokesperson said four multi-role strike fighter jets would land June 15 at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Tezpur, about 185 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati.
India ramps up military presence along China border (Lead, changing dateline)June 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI/ITANAGAR/TEZPUR - India is ramping up its military deployment along the border with China, positioning two army divisions, each comprising around 25,000 to 30,000 personnel, as also a squadron of frontline Sukhoi Su-30 MKI combat jets at a key airbase in the northeast, military officials said. This apart, the induction of the first of three airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) aircraft will be a potent force multiplier in the military's capabilities to monitor the movement of troops and aircraft in Chinese territory.
After Tezpur, Sukhoi war planes at Chabua near India-China borderJune 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - After stationing the Sukhoi Su-30MIK war jets in Tezpur in Assam, the Indian Air Force will post another squadron of its frontline jets at the Chabua air base under its military policy to boost security along the border with China in the northeast. On June 15, four Su-30MKIs will land in Tezpur for a symbolic induction, making the airbase the third in the country to house the combat jets.
P.K. Barbora takes over as IAF vice-chiefJune 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Air Marshal P.K. Barbora Monday took over as the new vice-chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) - becoming the first person from the northeast to hold the post.
IAF fighter aircraft crashes, pilot bails outMay 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft crashed Wednesday in Luni region of Rajasthan but the pilot ejected out safely, an air force official said here. "The aircraft took off from the Jodhpur air base at 12 noon and crashed in the Luni region sometime later.
Loading ...