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Massive airlift in Ladakh a signal to India’s adversaries
Should an armed conflict break out in future, military analysts reckon an overwhelming probability of such a confrontation taking place along unsettled boundaries in the Himalayas. The airlift exercise in Ladakh is being seen in the same context.
In a dramatic demonstration of its rapid airlift capability to areas close to high altitude battlefields of the past, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 18 airlifted a record 463 tons of military loads in a single wave from the Chandigarh airbase to airfields and drop zones in the Ladakh region.
This airlift was accomplished in under six hours with a fleet of 16 transport aircraft comprising the heavy lift C-17 Globemaster and Ilyushin-76 Gajraj and the medium lift tactical aircraft, the Antonov-32. The IAF claims this is a record. Its routine airlift effort to Ladakh is about 3,000 tons a month. This demonstrates India’s capability for a rapid military build-up in its far flung corners, and the ability to support troops logistically from the air.
The IAF mobilized its wide spectrum of military transport aircraft in its inventory and validated their capability.
The messaging to adversaries along India’s unsettled boundaries in the region was unmistakable in this big demonstration of efforts to prepare for short, intense wars, which was also a reflection of the key role rapid airlift will play in any future conflict along India’s distant and forbidding Himalayan frontiers.
“Rapid air mobility... assumes greater significance in short and intense wars. This is very true in India’s context, especially when related to air mobility to airfields in the Ladakh region,” commented Air Marshal NJS Sekhon, the Senior Air Staff Officer of the Western Air Command.
The airlift demonstration and the comments by the senior IAF officer gives an insight into the Indian military establishment’s assessment of the type of conflict India could face in the future. This also reflects the preparedness to counter the perceived threats.
Should an armed conflict break out in future, military analysts reckon an overwhelming probability of such a confrontation taking place along unsettled boundaries in the Himalayas. The airlift exercise in Ladakh is being seen in the same context.
The IAF mobilized its wide spectrum of military transport aircraft in its inventory and validated their capability. Airlift is a key component in determining the outcome of a war, along with firepower and surveillance capability.
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