Birds Of Prey

Air Force’s Sukhoi, Mig-29, Chinook & Apache attack helicopters help troops with night operations at LAC

- Manjeet Negi

Even though the Chinese are going back from the friction points in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Air Force is not lowering its guard in the region. The IAF is carrying out night-time combat air patrols over the Eastern Ladakh sector as could be seen by India Today when it reached a forward airbase near China border to cover night operations.

The Force has pitched its frontline fighter aircraft including the MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30MKI along with iApache attack helicopters and the Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.

Despite the strong winds and the chilling weather, the ground crew and pilots are flying using very small windows when the wind speed is low.

Explaining the significance of nighttime operations, senior fighter pilot Group Captain A Rathi, deployed at the forward base, said that night operations have an inherent element of surprise.

“The Indian Air Force is fully trained and ready to undertake entire spectrum of operations in any environment with the help of modern platforms and highly motivated personnel,” he said.