'IAF always cautious and alert': Air Force chief Dhanoa amid Kashmir tension

New Delhi, Aug 20: Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Tuesday issued a stern warning to Pakistan saying the Indian Air Force is always alert in a state of alert along the Indio-Pak border to prevent any misadventure by the neighbouring country.

"The air force is always alert on border, irrespective if there is enemy movement or not. Since even civilian aircraft cross the line sometimes, we have to take care of the situation also," Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said on Tuesday.

"We can't wait for indigenous technology to replace obsolete war-fighting equipment, neither will it be prudent to import every defence equipment from abroad. What we are doing is replacing our high-end obsolete weapons with indigenously developed ones," Dhanoa said.

Earlier, Army chief General Bipin Rawat had warned Pakistan of a "bloodier nose" if it chooses to go into another war with India while he advised Pakistan not to repeating "misadventures".

"Don't do it. Misadventures are normally not repeated. You will get a bloodier nose next time," ANI quoted General Rawat as saying.

The Indian Army had kept all its options open after the Balakot strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad facility.

The Indian Army had finalised contracts to procure ammunition worth Rs 11,000 crore after the Uri terror attack in September 2016, and it has received 95 per cent of the total order.

The Army has also finalised 33 contracts worth Rs 7,000 crore for procuring critical armaments while another set of purchases at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore is at an advanced stage.

In March last year, the vice chiefs of the three services were granted additional financial powers to carry out specific procurement to ensure operational preparedness.