IAF swings into action after Chinese jet flies near LAC in eastern Ladakh sector

New Delhi, July 09: The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) flew its aircraft close to a friction point in the eastern Ladakh sector on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the last week of June, it has been learnt.

The incident took place at around 4 am when the aircraft flew near the Indian position and was spotted by men on ground and was also picked up by indigenous radars deployed in the border area. In response, the Indian Air Force (IAF) activated its assets as per standard operating procedures.

This incident took place at a time when the Chinese military is carrying out exercises involving its fighter jets and other assets, including the Russian S-400 air defence system near the Ladakh sector.

The Indian forces have taken up the issue with the PLA, with whom the Army has been conducting prolonged negotiations for the past two years in a bid to resolve the ongoing standoff between the two armies in eastern Ladakh.

It should be noted that the Northern Command which is in charge of the Ladakh sector in the Indian Army has been provided all possible firepower and manpower to tackle the threat from the Chinese side.

Similarly, the IAF's Western Air Command, which is in charge of the sector, also has French Rafale fighter jets to take on any challenge. India has also deployed the Aakash air defence system in this sector. The Indian troops in the region are also equipped with Russian-origin Igla shoulder-fired air defence missiles on the crucial heights.

Last month, it emerged that China is constructing a second bridge in an area held by it around the strategically key Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh and this could help its military to quickly mobilise its troops in the region.

China has also been establishing other infrastructure such as roads and residential units in the border areas with India. It also has maritime border disputes with various countries in the Indo-Pacific region such as Vietnam and Japan.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 5, 2020, when a violent clash between the two sides erupted in the Pangong lake area.

India and China have held 15 rounds of military talks so far to resolve the Ladakh standoff. As a result of the talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

However, each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.