The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft — inducted into the Indian Air Force on Monday — is likely to be operated to advanced landing grounds in Ladakh like Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), thereby boosting the strategic lift capability near the border with China, even as India is likely to order six more of these aircraft apart from the initial order of 10 aircraft. On Monday, defence minister A.K. Antony also said both India and China had developed infrastructure on their respective sides of the 3,500 km-long border that both countries share. “The other side (China) is strengthening capability. So we (India) are also strengthening our capability,” he said, adding however that both countries were engaging in “practical and effective” negotiations on working out a mechanism to resolve border issues. The minister, however, acknowledged that one “can’t expect miracles” on any immediate resolution of the border dispute with China.
On Monday, when asked whether the C-17 could land at DBO in Ladakh, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne replied in the affirmative, adding that the IAF would decide where the C-17s would be flown to. Just recently, the IAF accomplished the first-ever landing of the C-130 J Hercules aircraft at the strategically-located DBO ALG in Ladakh. Any future operation of the C-17 there now will rapidly boost the capabilities of the IAF in being able to land Army troops and equipment to forward areas in Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at short notice.
So far, the IAF has inducted three C-17 aircraft out of the total order for 10 aircraft that was placed with Boeing in 2011. While all the remaining seven aircraft will be inducted by the end of 2014, the IAF wants a follow-on order of six more C-17 aircraft to be placed in the next few years. This could further strengthen India’s strategic ties with the US. Meanwhile, on Monday, defence minister A.K. Antony said, “This aircraft (C-17) will provide a quantum leap to our airlift capability and also equip us to fulfil a wide range of strategic conventional and non-traditional roles.”
In response to a question, Mr Antony also made it clear that India would “not be part of any military bloc”, thereby indicating that India would not be part of any American plans to contain China. In response to another question, the defence minister also made it clear that the government has not prevented the IAF chief from undertaking any visit to China, adding that the IAF chief was free to go anywhere where he had been invited and where he had consented to visit. In response to yet another question whether the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers would meet soon, Mr Antony said that he was not authorised to make any comment on the matter. When also asked whether the 126 MMRCA mega-deal would be inked by the end of this year, Mr Antony said, “How can I say? Everything depends on the contract negotiations (that are currently on)”.