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Due to increased tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India is now regularly utilising naval reconnaissance capabilities to improve its surveillance of of land borders along China, both to track troop and for infrastructural developments.
"The Navy is deploying P-8i long-range patrol aircraft and heavy-duty Sea Guardian drones "as and when tasked" on the Army's request for intelligence-gathering missions along the northern borders," defence ministry sources told TOI on Sunday
The Israeli Heron unmanned aerial vehicles and the ongoing use of Indian satellites are supplemented by the US-made P-8l aircraft and Sea Guardians, both of which are capable of giving "live feeds" of high-resolution imagery with their electro-optic and other sophisticated sensors (UAVS).
The 3,488-km LAC's western (Ladakh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) sectors have both made use of the naval platforms. For the third consecutive winter, India and China have kept about 50,000 soldiers each forward stationed in eastern Ladakh; however, there has been a further spike in tensions in the eastern sector after the physical clash between the rival soldiers at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.
"The P-8ls and Sea Guardians, meant for long-range ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) missions over the high seas, have proved quite effective in supplementing the Army's information on the People's Liberation Army," a source revealed.
The MQ-9A is a turboprop-powered aircraft that can carry a payload capacity of 3,850 pounds, including 3,000 pounds of external stores and offers unmatched operational flexibility with a 27-hour endurance, speeds of 240 KTAS, and the ability to operate at altitudes up to 50,000 feet.
The MQ-9A drone can reportedly provide ‘live feeds’ of the on ground situation picture on the ground to the Indian Army. India has also used the MQ-9A drone to monitor the growing activities of the PLA Navy (PLAN) in the Indian Ocean.
India-China dispute: India now utilising naval assets to improve land border surveillance
Due to increased tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India is now regularly utilising naval reconnaissance capabilities to improve its surveillance of of land borders along China, both to track troop and for infrastructural developments.
