Air Force well positioned to deal with any threat: IAF chief RKS Bhadauria

Indian Air Force is well-positioned to take on China in the eastern Ladakh because of its “firm and strong” deployment, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria asserted on Monday, as the Sino-Indian border crisis rolls into yet another month.

“China can't get the better of us in any conflict situation. We have deployed strongly and firmly in place to handle any contingency and can take on China in that area as we are well-positioned. However, there is no question of underestimating the adversary as their numbers are huge and they have capabilities to air-launch long-distance weapons,” Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said on the eve of the 88th Air Force Day.

India and China are locked in a six-month-long bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh that has significantly strained the ties between the neighbours.

While the first signs of the Chinese aggression were seen in April, by the second week of May multiple flashpoints along the Line of Actual Control - the disputed boundary – such as Galwan, Depsang, Gogra-Hotsprings and Pangong Tso were established.

The IAF chief admitted there was an element of surprise with what the Chinese forces did as traditionally it was the time for them to exercise. But the Indian response was swift.

All efforts of resolving the standoff have failed so far even as the seventh round of discussions between senior military commanders have been scheduled on October 12.

The IAF Chief said the progress in the ongoing talks are slow and there is an increased effort by China to dig in for the winter. But the Indian armed forces are prepared for the long haul too.

The IAF's heavy airlift capability thanks to C-17 and IL-76 transporters and Chinook helicopters led to faster logistic supply to the front line troops, which was not expected by the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Acknowledging that IAF was on an “offensive deployment” in response to the stand-off along the LAC in the north, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the newly inducted Rafale aircraft gave India an ability “to shoot first and strike deep and hard even in contested airspace”.

Asked whether the PLA can use the Skardu airbase inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to target India, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said, “Whether China will use Skardu (airfield in Gilgit-Baltistan), is an open-ended question. But if China needs to take Pakistan's help to confront us, I have nothing to say. If Skardu gets used by China then it is a collusive threat and we will deal with it accordingly.”