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| China Deploys J-20 Fighters Near Indian Border, India Increases Military Capability |
International Military - India is not playing games in increasing its military capabilities. According to recent reports, Government sources have revealed that the PLA Air Force has around two dozen frontline combat aircraft. The warplanes stationed at the Hotan air base in the East Ladakh sector, include the J-11 and J-20 stealth fighters.
"China previously maintained a detachment of MiG-21 class fighter aircraft there, but now it has been replaced with more capable and advanced aircraft and in larger numbers," they said. Quoted from the Eurasian Times, the J-20 is the most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter in China.
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This development comes after a senior US military commander said that the defense infrastructure built by China along the Line of Actual Control was worrying. “The (China's) level of activity is eye-opening. Some of the infrastructure being built in the western theater command is worrying,” said General Charles A Flynn, Commander General of the United States Army Pacific, while speaking to reporters.
China objected to his statement. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called the remarks of a US military officer in Ladakh shameful and criticized the US. It is important to note that it was recently revealed that China is building a second bridge on the side of Pangong Tso Lake where it can quickly mobilize troops and transport armored columns in the event of a military confrontation with India.
Furthermore, the Chinese Air Force is building a new airfield close to Indian territory that will allow them to perform flights at lower altitudes. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has spread along the Line of Actual Control with India, from Ladakh in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast.
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Apart from Hotan, Indian agencies are reportedly also monitoring the PLAAF's Gar Gunsa, Kashghar, Hopping, Dkonka Dzong, Linzhi and Pangat air bases in Xinjiang and Tibet. Both Xinjiang and Tibet are under China's Western Theater Command facing the LAC with India.
In recent years, the Chinese PLAAF has upgraded these bases by building hardened shelters, lengthening the length of the runway, and deploying more manpower to carry out more operations. Earlier satellite imagery revealed that a large heliport was under construction south of the existing Golmud airport, at the northern tip of the Tibetan plateau.
A total of 63 hangars were seen, as well as the construction of barracks and supporting structures. The port seems to have started operating now. While the PLA Air Force has deployed J-20 fighter jets near the LAC, the Indian side has stepped up its readiness and deployed a fleet of Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-29, and Mirage-2000 fighters at the forward air base to counter attacks. potential for escalation with the PLAAF.
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Last year, when its position in Ladakh underwent a tectonic shift, the Indian Air Force deployed a complete offensive and defensive force to counter China's "Anti Access Area Denial (A2AD)" policy according to the source of the defense establishment. The assets deployed by the IAF typically include cargo aircraft such as the AN32, C-130J, and C-17, as well as helicopters such as the Apache and Chinook and fighter jets such as the Rafale, SU-30MKI, Mig-29, etc. to source, deployment also includes surface missiles. -to-air, radar, and height monitoring with UAV.
The Chinese Air Force first deployed its fifth-generation J-20 jets near Indian territory at the height of the conflict in 2020. J-20s were reportedly spotted flying from the Hotan air base in China's Xinjiang province, where strategic bombers and other fighters are also stationed, according to sources. government.
This time, however, the deployment of the J-20 appears to have been confirmed. The J-20s deployed near the LAC are the most advanced fighter jets in China's arsenal, and being a stealth jet means it can evade Indian radar surveillance and missile defense systems.
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India, on the other hand, is well equipped with French Rafale fighter jets. However, experts have expressed their doubts about the fighter jet going head-to-head with Indian jets.
J-20 fighters would have less room to carry more armament or fuel if they operated from high-altitude air bases in the Tibetan plateau, resulting in limited combat range, the EurAsian Times observed.
Experts also claim that China's stealth jets have no combat experience and have never been involved in a conflict. There is very little public information about its capabilities, and some of it has been exaggerated by the Chinese media.
The Rafale, on the other hand, has substantial combat experience and, at 50,000 feet, can function very well at higher altitudes. They have been adapted for Indian needs and many experts even call them 'the most advanced Rafale' in the world.
Quoted from Military Today, the J-20 fighter is the best fighter in the world. The Chengdu J-20 is China's new stealth fighter. It is designed to compete with fifth-generation fighters, such as the US F-22 Raptor and advanced fourth-generation fighters, such as the Russian Su-57.
Allegedly, the development of the J-20 was assisted by the Russian MiG aviation company. Initial production of this low-level stealth aircraft began in 2015. The first operational J-20 stealth fighter was delivered to the Chinese air force in 2016. This stealth fighter was officially adopted by the Chinese air force in 2017.
The new J-20 is a medium and long range air superiority fighter, which may also have a secondary ground attack capability. China's new warplanes are state-of-the-art fourth-generation fighters, not actual fifth-generation fighters.
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The Chinese fighter has two large internal weapons bays for long-range air-to-air missiles and two side-mounted small arms bays for short-range air-to-air missiles. Missiles are stored in this weapon bay to reduce the radar cross-section. It also has a large fuel tank for long range missions. It carries more fuel and weapons than the American F-22 Raptor. Furthermore, this aircraft is capable of operating at high speed.