The growing chinese threat post galwan valley clash has woken up many indians. It has not only refreshed India's military & political leadership about the 1962 debacle but also torched the possibility of more confrontation with the dragon in future. Therefore, A calibrated military strategy is required to put both offensive & defensive doctrine on table to achieve a higher success rate against enemy’s aggression. As Air Assets are vital in deciding the outcomes of conflicts, these platforms must be deployed at the crucial places to deter any conflict & counter any eventuality. Looking at the mighty Himalayas , we can say the war on these mountains won’t be as cosy as it used to be on plains. With the Tibetaen plateau which has an average elevation of 4000m above sea level, the Air Missions like SEAD, DEAD, ECM, WVR & Dog fights will be arduous.
However, The geography possesses significant advantages for Indian Air Force. After observing the map, we can optimise IAF’s dominance in the sector.
In eastern frontier, each air base of IAF is located in between 50-100 km distance.
The more closer the air bases are to one another, the more quick response can be given in a short period of time.
Most of these air bases are situated on Ganga-Brahmaputra plains, so IAF fighters can carry full weapon load..
The efficiency of Integrated Air command will be much higher as the SAM systems like QRSAM, AKASH, SPYDER, BARAK-8, XRSAM ( Under Development) & S-400 will operate under one command from different air fields thereby making enemy fighter to get confused over the range of missiles either it’s short range or medium range if it is fired.
IAF DEPLOYMENT STRATEGY 2030
India has 9 major operational Airfields in the area used for fighter & transport aircraft operations. Of these 9 air bases, 2 Sukhois Sqs at Tezpur, one at Chabua, One Rafale Sq at Hasimara & One Jaguar squadron at Kalaikunda are stationed now. So, to counter 2.5 front war in Eastern frontier, IAF needs to revamp its strategy to boost more fighter induction in the inventory. The strategy is made keeping 2030 IAF power projections. This is where we consider 110 MMRCA 2.0 jets ( eg - Rafale ) & 36 Rafale under MMRCA 1.0 .
The Eastern command should be heavily armed to deal with any invading force. With 11.5 Squadrons of 210 fighter jets, Jaguars armed with 28 Swarm drones each & Super Sukhoi upgradation will augment IAF’s capability into a next level. The AI based wingsman project of Tejas is also another booster to IAF’s Net centric warfare capability.
The deployment will include 3 Su-30MKI Squadrons, 3 Rafale Squadrons, 2 Jaguar Sqs, 2 Tejas Sqs & 1 Mig-29UPG Sq comprising 210 Aircrafts. As per plan, the fighter to be deployed as follows..
The Kalaikunda AFS can be upgraded & transformed into a large multirole air base like JamNagar which can house 3 fighter squadrons of 54 Aircrafts. The reason behind deploying Mig-29UPG at Bagdogra is to secure Air Denial access over Siliguri Corridor & give back up to Rafales at Hasimara.
AWACS & EW BASES
By 2030, India will have around 15 AWACS consisting of 5 Israeli Phalcons, 4 Netras & 6 DRDO
AWACS. Under eastern command, India should have at least 3 AWACS at 2 Air bases Two operating from Panagarh while one from Bihta, Bihar where Rafale is deployed.
SAM Deployment
The air bases near the border like Bagdogra & Hasimara should be armed with DEW weapons, anti-swarm drone applications ( ECM & JAMMING) & higher rate of fire anti-aircraft guns to thwart any type of Swarm drone assault on these bases. All these 28 various types of SAMs will have to be operated under Integrated Air Defense command. If such deployment India does in its eastern sector, our 7 Sister states including Chicken’s neck will be impregnable to any enemy assaults.
XRSAM (350KM) deployment across three air bases ( Kalaikunda, Bagdogra & Tezpur)
Therefore, revisiting strategies & revamping military assets is the only way to secure our border in North-eastern sectors. Defeating PLAAF in Tibet depends upon the IAF’s muscular presence in 7 sister states of India with getting more Air power from West Bengal & Bihar. The reinforcement from Bihar & Bengal ensures a sophisticated power punch pack to IAF’s strike formations deep inside Tibet & MainLand China. Thus, IAF must focus on upgrading it’s sukhoi fleets & inducting more MMRCA as well as Tejas-mk2 jets to disrupt any Chinese aggression in the region.
