P-81 aircraft of the Indian Navy are deployed for surveillance in the eastern Ladakh sector amidst border dispute between India and China. Meanwhile, the Navy has decided that the sea fighter jet MiG-29K will be deployed in the northern region. India’s border dispute with the neighboring country has been going on for a long time. However, China has been forced to bow down in recent times. The deployment of naval combat aircraft at the Indian Air Force (IAF) bases is in line with the thinking of Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat and instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Government sources said, ‘There is a plan to deploy MiG-29K fighter aircraft at the Indian Air Force base in the northern region. They can be used for operational flights in the eastern Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). ‘ The Navy has a fleet of more than 40 MiG-29K fighter jets, deployed on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and regularly fly from INS Hansa, a naval combat base in Goa.
Russian-origin fighter aircraft were purchased by the Indian Navy with the aircraft carrier a decade ago. Amid the ongoing dispute with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Indian Navy is playing an important role as its aircraft will be used to monitor the LAC, to cover up Chinese activities. Surveillance aircraft were also used extensively during the Doklam crisis. The Indian Navy is also conducting an exercise close to the Malacca Strait, from where the Chinese Navy enters the Indian Ocean region. Government sources said nuclear submarines including INS Chakra and INS Arihant are also out of their port.
In addition, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is also present at sea for missions with its carrier battle group. The Indian Navy is constantly monitoring Chinese naval activities in the Indian Ocean region, where they regularly accompany their warships. Indian Navy warships had also conducted an exercise with the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz a few days earlier, amid tension from China.
