Sukhoi deployment in Tezpur hit by inadequate infrastructure

India's plans to bolster its military strength along the border with China by deploying its potent Sukhoi fighter jets in Tezpur have been badly hit due to poor infrastructure at the front line airbase.

India's plans to bolster its military strength along the border with China by deploying its potent Sukhoi fighter jets in Tezpur have been badly hit due to poor infrastructure at the front line airbase.

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"Tezpur's infrastructure is inadequate to deploy and operate the heavier Su-30MKIs. The infrastructure development plan for the airbase in Assam is awaiting a nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security," a top IAF officer told PTI in New Delhi on Thursday.

The plan includes strengthening the tarmac of the airbase, which had till recently operated only MiG-21 variants, so that it can handle the Russian-origin Sukhoi air superiority multi-role fighters, the officer said.

India had on June 15 formally inducted four Su-30MKIs in Tezpur in anticipation of having a full squadron of 18 Sukhois at the airbase this year.

But now the plans have been postponed till mid 2010, when the infrastructure project would be completed, the officer said, adding the full squadron currently based in Lohegaon near Pune will move to Tezpur only then.

The slow delivery of SU-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has also contributed to the delay in deploying the squadron in Tezpur.