The Indian Air Force is one of the few air forces in the world who has attacked targets hiding in high mountains during the Kargil war and has successfully broken the backbone and supply lines of the enemy with the help of precision-guided bombs
New Delhi: At a time when the Chinese Air Force is increasing its presence in Tibet, India is going to build a high-altitude warfare range for its fighter aircraft bombing operations along the border with China in Pithorgarh district of Uttarakhand. All frontline jets, including the Rafales, Sukhoi-30s and Mirage-2000s would practice destroying targets in mountainous terrain there.
The Indian Air Force is one of the few air forces in the world who has attacked targets hiding in high mountains during the Kargil war and has successfully broken the backbone and supply lines of the enemy during that conflict with Pakistan with the help of precision-guided bombs.
“A proposal had been moved to the state government for the clearance of setting up a bombing range in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand where all the fighter planes can practice identifying and destroying targets hidden in mountainous terrains. All our present and future aircraft would be utilised there to practice bombing to target such areas," sources in the government told MyNation.
The proposal has now been cleared by the state government and the new range would help the Air Force in a big way in enhancing the preparedness of the fighter pilots for warfare along such terrain in future. In recent times, there have been several occasions when the Chinese have transgressed into Indian territory in Uttarakhand using both their troops and helicopters.
The defence minister has been fully supportive of the Air Force's attempts to prepare itself for a two-front warfare, as recently, Nirmala Sitharaman cleared the creation of a new fighter aircraft base in Deesa district of Gujarat which would cater for the new fight bases being raised by Pakistan to target the western Indian state.
Indian fighter planes extensively practice warfare in Ladakh's high altitude mountains on both the Chinese and Pakistani fronts, but the heights are in the range of 14,000 feet to 19,000 feet there. The new facility in Uttarakhand would be at an altitude of 13,000 feet and is similar to the terrain on the Tibetan side which is controlled and claimed by Chinese as their territory.
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