With Pakistan getting new F-16s from US and JF-17 ‘Thunder’ jets from China, IAF now has plans to progressively deploy its most potent Sukhoi-30MKI fighters on the western front.
This comes after IAF identified Tezpur and other bases in the North-East to also base the multi-role Sukhoi-30MKIs as a safeguard on the eastern front against China, which has gone in for a massive upgrade of airbases in Tibet and other areas near the Line of Actual Control.
At present, IAF has just about 60 of the 230 Sukhoi-30MKI fighters contracted from Russia at an overall cost of over $ 8.5-billion. Of the 230 jets, 140 are to be produced under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India.
The government, incidentally, has directed HAL to complete the ongoing Sukhoi project by 2013-2014 since IAF is grappling with both a severe shortage in the number of its fighter squadrons, down to 32 from the "sanctioned" strength of 39.5, as well as "poor serviceability" of its MiG-21, MiG-27 and Jaguar fleets.
India has so far based its Sukhois — which can be jury-rigged to carry nuclear bombs — only at Pune, Jodhpur and Bareilly, though they have operated from as diverse places as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Halwara.
With fresh deliveries of the "air superiority" fighters in the pipeline, the earmarking of important airbases to position future squadrons is taking place in full flow.
The operationally crucial Western Air Command (WAC), which covers virtually the entire western front stretching from Ladakh to Bikaner, in particular, figures high on these plans.
"Our assets have to be distributed all over the country in line with our operational thinking. After the East, the planning is to base Sukhois in our area of responsibility," WAC chief Air Marshal P K Barbora told TOI.
WAC controls as many as 18 important airbases ranging from Srinagar, Leh, Thosie, Awantipur to Ambala, Amritsar, Halwara and Nal. But several of them need new inductions to maintain their operational readiness. Halwara, for instance, houses the old and accident-prone MiG-23s which are in the process of being phased out.
The basing of Sukhois at new bases will, of course, require new infrastructure. The Tezpur airbase, for instance, is currently undergoing a huge revamp to house two Sukhoi squadrons.
The move is significant since the Sukhois, which have a cruising speed of 3,200 km and can carry eight tonne of armaments, can strike targets deep inside China after taking off from Tezpur. Their radius of operation, of course, can be cranked up to around 8,000 km with air-to-air refuelling by IL-78 tankers.
Interestingly, Bareilly, which already has two squadrons, has been earmarked as the "hub" for Sukhoi operations in the eastern sector. Some of the fighters have even been fitted with Israeli reconnaissance systems to enable them to "look" 300 km into China without crossing the border.
The Sukhois and the 3,500-km-plus nuclear-capable Agni-III missile, which will be ready for operational deployment by 2010 or so, constitute a crucial part of the "affordable nuclear deterrence" posture against China.
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