China’s airfields in Tibet lack military infrastructure for offensive ops: IAF chief B S Dhanoa

[Stephen Cohen]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...r-offensive-ops-air-chief-b-s-dhanoa-4836195/

China’s airfields in Tibet lack military infrastructure for offensive ops: IAF chief B S Dhanoa

 

[Stephen Cohen]

"China maintains continuous air presence in Tibet, they exercise their aircraft, the strength increases and decreases as per the prevailing exercise," said Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa.

Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said during his last meeting with Chinese officials both sides shared the need to continue to “meet on the ground so as to stay away from each other in the air”. (File)

Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, the Chief of Air Staff, on Saturday said China maintains continuous air presence in Tibet but the airfields there lack requisite military infrastructure to carry out offensive operations.

Dhanoa also said India needs to concentrate and build infrastructure for operational efficiency in the northern and eastern sectors, even as the western border along Pakistan remains a challenge to internal security. “China maintains continuous air presence in Tibet, they exercise their aircraft, the strength increases and decreases as per the prevailing exercise,” he said.

The Air chief’s remarks come against the backdrop of the recent Doklam stand-off with China which ended after both the countries disengaged troops following a prolonged face-off.

He said available satellite images reveal that airfields in Tibet are not optimised for offensive operations but more towards ensuring regional connectivity and lack military infrastructure. “If you look at other airfields that are optimised for offensive operations, you will see that there is a difference in ‘airfields in which they mean business’ and the airfields in Tibet,” he said.

Dhanoa was delivering the Air Chief Marshal L M Katre memorial Lecture organised by the Air Force Association, Karnataka, in association with the HAL and the Aeronautical Society of India.

Highlighting that the primary prerogative for India in the northern and eastern sectors is to concentrate and build up infrastructure, Dhanoa said, “This we have to do in order to increase our operational efficiency.”

He said there is a “difference in perception” about the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the northern borders, which sometimes results in stand-offs but gets resolved also.

Throughout the stand-off that took place in Doklam there was no violation from either side, he said.

Dhanoa said only transport aircraft are allowed to fly up to the LAC and added that there were no transgressions in the air during the stand-off.

The Air Chief Marshal said during his last meeting with Chinese officials both sides shared the need to continue to “meet on the ground so as to stay away from each other in the air”.

Speaking about the situation along the western border, without naming Pakistan, Dhanoa remarked: “In most countries the state has an army. There, the army has the state.”

“It holds its exalted position in society to the propagation of a threat from us and if peace were to come they would lose all the privileges,” he said.

Pointing to recent debates where people had questioned them (Pakistan) of their capability and performance in past confrontations with India, Dhanoa said, “So it is in their best interests to keep this threat alive and keep the pot boiling with the insurgency in Kashmir.”

He said given the worldwide opinion right now, chances of a large-scale terror attack on a civilian infrastructure like 26/11 or Parliament attack was slightly remote as it would invite global condemnation. “However, the military will continue to get targeted like it happened during Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota. They will try and surprise us by attacking at a totally new location or by using a totally different method of attack or time.”

Suggesting that the biggest challenge is of internal security on a 24×7 basis, he said post Pathankot, IAF had carried out a series of measures to enhance the ability to detect and strengthen the base defence through training to neutralise ‘Fidayeen’ type attacks.

“I have always maintained that our training and preparedness has to be as per an adversaries’ ability, the intentions can change, hence as a service we are prepared for the conflict at a very short notice,” he said.

 

[Feng Leng]

His name is "B.S."

Unlike India, we have intercontinental stealth bomber. When we launch our strategic strike on Delhi, H-20 stealth bomber can approach the subcontinent flying 10 meters above sea level from Maldives direction.

 

[Stephen Cohen]

His name is "B.S."

Unlike India, we have intercontinental stealth bomber. When we launch our strategic strike on Delhi, H-20 stealth bomber can approach the subcontinent flying 10 meters above sea level from Maldives direction.

Then why did not you use them in Doklam
They would be shot down like FLIES

 

[Feng Leng]

Then why did not you use them in Doklam
They would be shot down like FLIES

Why should we shoot when you already unilaterally retreated, allowing China to annex Bhutan land?

 

[SingaporeGuy]

China can simply fire a single missile to hit taj.

War over, india will cry.

 

[Stephen Cohen]

China can simply fire a single missile to hit taj.

Are they scared of Fighting face to Face

 

[sinait]

Are they scared of Fighting face to Face

Its understandable that a 3rd World country prefers face to face fight rather than a fight with high tech.
They fought face to face at Pangong Lake with the Indians suffering a KO.
.

 

[SingaporeGuy]

Its understandable that a 3rd World country prefers face to face fight rather than a fight with high tech.
They fought face to face at Pangong Lake with the Indians suffering a KO.
.

China simply too strong today.

India do not dare use air force or navy in 1962 either.

 

[Mirza Jatt]

China can simply fire a single missile to hit taj.

War over, india will cry.

Damn! You seem paranoid by Taj Mahal. [emoji23] . As if its Indian military HQ.

 

[ashok321]

China’s airfields in Tibet lack military infrastructure for offensive ops: IAF chief B S Dhanoa

Ok.

So why the following is happening by a weaker & toothless China then?

Border shepherds: This year, the Chinese were more menacing than usual

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nat...were-more-menacing-than-usual-1654770--1.html

 

[seesonic]

PLAAF is confident of its logistic capability thus it doesnt need to station large amount of planes in Tibet.

Its these pesky cry baby indians which cry all day about China being too large and power thus they have to station its aircraft nears it border with China.

In short China is a real and capable threat. Your airforce general acknowledges this. On the other hand most of the modern chinese aircraft is stationed at its eastern front. Go on do some brain work

 

[SingaporeGuy]

PLAAF is confident of its logistic capability thus it doesnt need to station large amount of planes in Tibet.

Its these pesky cry baby indians which cry all day about China being too large and power thus they have to station its aircraft nears it border with China.

In short China is a real and capable threat. Your airforce general acknowledges this. On the other hand most of the modern chinese aircraft is stationed at its eastern front. Go on do some brain work

In short, China doesnt give a flying f about india.

 

[ohmrlobalobayeh]

there u go- it's always the same 'dont worry, it's all gonna be fine' typical Indian rhetoric.

Ignorant/Arrogant underestimation of almost everything is an Indian trait.

Im astonished that even the Indian air chief force engages in lying publicly.

hahahahahahaha.

 

[Mrc]

Chief B (ull) s(hit) dhanoa