New Delhi: Chinese fighter jets continue to provoke Indian forces deployed in Eastern Ladakh as they have been flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on multiple occasions.
According to reports, the Chinese aircraft continues to fly regularly close to the LAC in the past three to four weeks, and is seen as an attempt to probe the Indian defence mechanism in the area.
The Indian Air Force is tackling the matter strategically to avoid escalation of the matter. The newswire agency ANI while talking to a government official said that “The Chinese fighter jets including the J-11 continue to fly close to the LAC. There have been instances of violation of the 10 Km Confidence Building Measure (CBM) line in the region in recent times,” .
The report further adds that the Indian Air Force has taken measures by moving forward MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 to advanced bases from where they can respond to any threat within minutes.
The IAF has been responding to these actions in a calibrated manner and also keeping a very close watch on the Chinese flying pattern in the area where they are flying at both low and high altitudes, the sources said.
India has also been working at a very fast pace to upgrade its military infrastructure in Ladakh after the Chinese tried to unilaterally change the status quo on the LAC in April-May 2020 timeframe.
The provocations by Chinese fighter aircraft started around June 24-25 when a Chinese fighter aircraft flew very close to a friction point in eastern Ladakh.
After that, multiple violations of CBMs between the two sides took place along the LAC near the Chumar sector and since then it has been going on, they said.
The IAF has also been carrying out extensive flying in the Eastern Ladakh sector including its Rafale fighter jets which can reach Ladakh in a very short timeframe from their home base in Ambala near northern borders, the sources said.
The matter was also reportedly taken up for discussion during the Corps Commander talks held on July 17 at the Chushul Moldo border meeting point, the sources said.
IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari had recently told ANI in an interview that “Whenever we find that Chinese aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) are coming a little too close to the LAC, we take appropriate measures by scrambling our fighters or putting our systems on high alert. This has deterred them to quite an extent.”