Pakistan Has Become More 'Aggressive' Towards India, Indian Air Force Chief Warns
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Dhairya Maheshwari
The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief has said that the country remains prepared for a "two-front war" involving China and Pakistan, saying "collusion" between the two neighbors was one of the threats facing New Delhi. Both Beijing and Islamabad have longstanding border disputes with Delhi.
The head of the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Tuesday that Islamabad's military approach towards India has evolved from being "defensive" to more "aggressive" in recent months.
"Pakistan has been spending a lot of money on its defence acquisitions in recent months. It purchased J-10 (Chengdu) fighter jets from China and the TPS-77 radar systems from Turkey," Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari remarked during a speech at New Delhi-based think tank United Service Institution of India (USI).
The speech was themed 'Transformation of the Indian Air Force: Present and the Way Ahead'.
The Pakistani government showcased its newly-inducted J-10C aircraft at the Pakistan Day celebrations on 23 March this year. Pakistan has bought 25 J-10C jets from Beijing, which it says, is a direct response to New Delhi's acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France under a $8.6 billion contract agreed upon in 2016.
The IAF chief noted in his remarks that the number of squadrons in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were expected to rise to 23 or 24 from the current strength of 20. A fighter jet squadron comprises 18-25 aircraft.
Chaudhari further flagged Islamabad's purchase of four Wing Loong I unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) last year to highlight his point about the changing military posture of India's western neighbor.
"Their aggressive approach is also visible from the kind of exercises they have been carrying out within the country as well as with its other partners," the country's top air force officer said.
The militaries of China and Pakistan have conducted joint drills on several occasions at different locations near their respective borders with India since the eruption of the Ladakh border standoff between the People's Liberation Army and the Indian Army in May 2020, including war games in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) last May.
In December 2020, PAF and the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) participated in the 'Shaheen-IX' joint air drills in the Sindh province near India's north-western frontier.
The PAF also conducted its own air exercises in June 2020 in Skardu in the Gilgit Baltistan region in June 2020. India disputes Pakistan's claim on Gilgit Baltistan, which is part of the Jammu and Kashmir region.
The IAF chief reiterated during his address on Tuesday that New Delhi remained "fully-prepared" for a two-front war.
He said that building "multi-domain" counter capabilities to respond to emerging threats was an ongoing focus of the Indian forces.
© Sputnik
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