Aiming to bolster defence preparedness in the eastern sector bordering China, the Indian Air Force is planning to deploy several of the first batch of 18 Multi-role Medium Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) in air bases in the northeast and which will be later inducted into the IAF after the conclusion of a deal for acquisition of 126 MMRCAs.
The `48,000-crore deal for acquisition of a total of 126 MMRCAs could be inked by June 2011. “We have stationed Sukhois in the north-east. We will also deploy MMRCAs there,” said a top IAF source. Of the 126 MMRCAs, 18 will be procured from the selected vendor in “fly away” condition while the rest of the 108 MMRCAs will be manufactured in India under transfer of technology. The first of the initial batch of 18 MMRCAs could join the IAF by 2014. Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft have already been deployed in air bases like Tezpur in Assam to strengthen defence preparedness. The IAF plans to “populate” air bases such as Tezpur and Chabua in Assam with frontline fighter aircraft such as the Su-30 MKIs and the MMRCAs.
The IAF plans to further strengthen force levels in the northeast, as the number of its fighter squadrons rise to about 40 with the induction of modern fighter aircraft.
With China coveting Arunachal Pradesh as its territory and showing increasing assertiveness, India is also working to activate air-fields in Arunachal Pradesh, so that the IAF can respond effectively to any sudden external aggression. This comes even as the IAF has sought permission from the government to expand the Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground in the Ladakh sector of J&K — just 23 km from the border with China — into a major air base from where all aircraft in the Indian Air Force’s inventory including fighter aircraft like the Sukhoi-30 MKI can operate.