Page 8 - The Inidian EYE 073021

NATION JULY 30, 2021 | The Indian Eye 8

india boosts defense with

rafale, bofors and anti-terror

squad on china border

The Chinese Army has increased its activities along the Barahoti area in

Uttarakhand along the Line of Actual Control

Our Bureau
Leh/New Delhi

he Indian Air Force
(IAF) got a major boost
Talong the China border
in the northeast as the force
made its second Rafale fighter
aircraft squadron operational
on Wednesday. The Rafale air-
craft which have already arrived
in Ambala flew to the Hashi-
mara air base.
The 101 squadron is main-
ly responsible for looking after
the eastern frontier with China
based in Hashimara while the
17 squadron in Ambala would
be looking after the Northern
borders with China in Ladakh
and other areas along with Pa-
kistan. The Air Force has re-
ceived around 25 aircraft from
France and more are expected
to be delivered in the next few
months out of the 36 planes that Induction ceremony of the second squadron of Rafale fighter aircraft at the Hasimara air base,
India had ordered in 2016. in Alipurduar on Wednesday. (ANI)
The planes have already
been operationalized in the attack, air defense and air supe- tion (around 15,000 troops) was have been heavily involved in
service within few days of their riority, reconnaissance, and nu- moved from counterterrorist the stand-off with China since
arrival in July and they have clear strike deterrence. operations to the Ladakh area last year.
already been deployed for air Meanwhile, seeking to tack- to tackle any possible attempt Army has filled in the gaps
patrols along the eastern front le the Chinese forces, the Indian by the Chinese to show aggres- created due to the movement of
with China and the new squad- Army pulled out units engaged sion there,” government sourc- the division to the forward posi-
ron would be functioning with in counter-terrorism operations es told ANI. tions using the resources avail-
the fleet of Su-30 squadrons al- in the Northern Command area The movement of the for- able to it. India has deployed
ready deployed in the eastern to deploy them along the Line mation has helped the Army around 50,000 troops in the
sector in significant numbers. of Actual Control in the Eastern to maintain reserves tasked for eastern Ladakh sector and has
After the planes were for- Ladakh area some months ago. operations along the Northern helped increase the force levels
mally inducted in September, The counter terrorism di- borders. The reserve formation by more than double. In view of
the second set of Rafale fighter vision was pulled out of opera- positioned in the Sugar sector is the Chinese aggression, the 14
jets reached India in November. tions from within the Northern trained for high mountain war- Corps in Leh now has two divi-
The twin-engine Rafale jets are Command area and deployed in fare and conducts war games in sions under it to take care of the
capable of carrying out a variety the Ladakh sector many months the cold desert areas of Ladakh China border including the Ka-
of missions of ground and sea ago. “The Division-size forma- every year. Since last year, they Continued on next page... >>

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