'IAF keeping close watch after LTTE air strike'

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 4: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is keeping a close vigil on the developments in the aftermath of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launching their first aerial strike on Katunayake Military Air Base in Lanka, AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command, Air Marshal Yeshwant Rao Rane said here today.

''At present we have little or no threat. But the situation is being monitored very closely and no chances can be taken,'' he told a press conference here.

Even before the LTTE strike, the threat perspective was there and the Air Force was closely monitoring the developments, he said.

Noting that the airspace was continuously being monitored, Air Marshal Rane said '' we have lot of networking, both defence and civilian and there is no time when the airspace is not monitored.'' Anything that was picked up by the civilian radar was reported to the defence wing, he said.

Asked if the civilian aircraft were also being monitored, he said the civilian air traffic had to be monitored more as it had increased in years.

''There should be an interaction between the Air Force and the Civil Aviation. Both the Civil Aviation and Defence Ministers have put this in top priority. The main aspect is both should share their infrastructure, assets and information,'' Air Marshal Rane said.

He also said that one or two squadrons would be stationed at Thanjavur and said that Thiruvananthaputram would be basically an operating base as aircraft could be brought here at any time from any part of the country.

UNI