For the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is deploying its most potent Sukhoi-30MKI fighters in Kashmir. Reflecting its new assertiveness, the IAF wants to whet its war-waging prowess in a troubled sector where India has to defend itself from Pakistan and China.
A senior air force officer told HT: “The IAF may have to operate from anywhere depending on perceived threats. Su-30MKIs are temporarily being deployed at the Srinagar airbase. Fighter pilots will be able to practice combat missions in a different flying environment.” Inducted into the IAF in 2001, the twin-engine, twin-seater air dominance fighter can simultaneously be operated as an interceptor and bomber to deliver a tailored response to enemy threats.
The introduction of Su-30MKIs — which can carry eight tonnes of armament including nuclear bombs — in Srinagar comes at a time when Pakistan’s air force is acquiring new F-16s from the US and JF-17 ‘Thunder’ jets from China. The IAF’s combat fleet consists of some 60 Su-30MKI aircraft housed at Lohegaon near Pune and Bareilly.
The six Su-30MKI fighters based at Srinagar (home to MiG-21 Bison fighters) will carry out “pervasive missions” in the coming days not only over Kashmir skies but also cover the Ladakh sector, including the rugged mountains of Kargil.
{{/usCountry}}The six Su-30MKI fighters based at Srinagar (home to MiG-21 Bison fighters) will carry out “pervasive missions” in the coming days not only over Kashmir skies but also cover the Ladakh sector, including the rugged mountains of Kargil.
{{/usCountry}}Air Marshal PK Barbora, who heads the operationally critical Western Air Command, told HT: “Flexibility is the key to airpower and differentiates a leading-edge air force. The Su-30MKI deployment in Kashmir will enable combat pilots to adapt to changing circumstances and environments in a responsive manner.”
During the 1999 Kargil conflict, the air force’s striking power had a profound influence on the outcome of operations. The IAF is on course to base two squadrons (some 40 aircraft) of Sukhois, which have a cruising speed of 3,200 km, at Tezpur to counterbalance a Chinese threat on the eastern front. The air force has contracted some 230 Sukhoi-30MKI fighters from Russia in orders totaling over US $ 8.5-billion. The Ladakh sector has come to occupy lofty status in the IAF’s calculus as was evident when it reactivated the 2.1-km airstrip at Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) in northeastern Ladakh after 43 years.