The IAF is on high alert in Ladakh region amid the border tension with China
At a time of rising tension along the Line of Actual Control with China and increasing tensions with Pakistan, the Indian Air Force on Friday said it was ready for undertaking operations simultaneously on both the fronts.
At a forward airbase from where Pakistan is 50 km and the strategic Daulat Beg Oldi is 80 km, the activity of fighter, transport aircraft and helicopters is going on day and night.
Due to the tension along the border with China, fighter aircraft are operating both day and night, and transport aircraft are continuously flying in and out of the airbase with troops, ration and ammunition in eastern Ladakh.
On the threat from Pakistan's Skardu airbase and the possibility of China-Pakistan coming together there, an Indian Air Force pilot of Flight Lieutenant-rank said, "Owing to the modern platform, the IAF is fully trained and is ready to undertake any operations on both the fronts. We are fully trained and highly motivated. We live by the IAF's motto - touch the sky with glory."
On the IAF's capability to undertake night operations in these tough terrains, a fighter pilot said, "Today, our warfare capabilities have grown, so much so that we are able to undertake all types of missions even at nights from the forward base."
Earlier, the airbases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir came under a watch after a Chinese refuelling aircraft landed in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan region, in June.
The strategic airbase on the banks of the Shyok river has been upgraded for day and night operations.
The Galwan river valley, which saw a violent face-off between India and China in June, also merges into the Shyok river, which flows from eastern to western Ladakh before crossing over into Pakistan.