IAF capable of meeting challenges from China, Pak

New Delhi: Considering the threat perception from both China and Pakistan, IAF has upgraded its capabilities to meet any challenge from the two fronts simultaneously.

These capabilities were tested successfully for the first time during the recent three-week war games `Livewire` in which over 400 fighter jets participated, IAF sources said on Monday. In the exercise, which commenced on March 18, the IAF created a simulated scenario of a challenge from both eastern and western fronts simultaneously. Testing its capabilities to meet the challenge, the IAF swiftly mobilised its frontline fighter and transport aircraft from Pakistan border to the eastern front, particularly the recently-developed Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in the Northeast, the sources said. All the major aircraft of the IAF including the Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguars, MiG 29, MiG 27s and the MiG 21s took part in the war games. They said the force kept the required number of aircraft in the western front while mobilising the majority of its assets including the mid-air refuelling aircraft towards the eastern front, they said. All the air-fields in the northeast including the eight Advanced Landing Grounds at Along, Walong, Tuting, Ziro, Pasighat, Vijay Nagar and Tawang were activated and were manned for operations of all types of fighter and transport aircraft operations. This was the first time that such an exercise was conducted by the IAF where it tested its capabilities on both the possible war fronts, sources said. PTI