IAF to station Su-30MKIs at Chabua close to China

New Delhi, Jun 2: Indian Air Force said that it will post an additional squadron of its frontline war jets Sukhoi Su-30MKI at the Chabua air base under its military policy to boost security along the border with China in the northeast. This move comes days after IAF's decision to station Su-30MKIs in Tezpur in Assam.

On Jun 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. "It will be a symbolic induction as of now. Currently it's not clear which of the Sukhoi bases - Pune or Bareilly - the aircraft belong to," a senior IAF official said.

The basing of the squadron in Assam is in line with the IAF's policy of capacity-building near the India-China border. India currently is operating five squadrons of the Russian-built fighter aircraft. Out of them three are stationed at Lohegaon Pune (Maharashtra) and two in Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh). Each squadron operates nearly 18-20 aircraft.

Indian Air Force is planning to increase the strength of Sukhois in its fleet to nearly 200 in next five years.

OneIndia News