Countering China, IAF set to operate Sukhoi jets in Uttarakhand's Jolly Grant airfield today

Pic Courtesy: indianairforce.nic.in

Dehradun: In an effort to counter Chinese aggression, the Indian Air Force is all set to activate civil airfield of Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun from today.

"As a routine exercise of activating civil airfield by the IAF, a detachment of two Su-30 MKI aircraft would operate from Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun," said the IAF in a statement.

A detachment of two Sukhoi (Su-30 MKI) aircraft will operate from the airport for two days – February 19 and February 20.

According to officials, the detachment would operate from the airfield for two days for area familiarisation before returning to their parent base.

The move is being witnessed as a strategic counteraction against China, which violated airspace in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the recent past. China also increased its assertiveness by stationing soldiers along nearly 4,000 km-long Sino-India border, including a portion in Uttarakhand.

In June 2017, a suspected Chinese helicopter was sighted flying above Indian territory in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, close to Sino-India border.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Chamoli Tripti Bhatt had told ANI, "The helicopter violated Indian airspace for over three to five minutes".

China, on the other hand, opposed Narendra Modi's maiden visit to Arunachal Pradesh as the Prime Minister, which it claims is a part of South Tibet.

"China's position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang in response to Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday.