Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has a hawk’s eye on all Chinese activities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and has taken appropriate “non-escalatory” measures to deal with it.

Ahead on Air Force Day on October 8, the air chief marshal explained at a press conference that recent developments on the world stage have indicated there was a burning need to establish a strong military to avert a “worst-case scenario”.

The chief said that the IAF has been preparing for diverse kinds of security challenges and is fully ready to face any situation. “We continue to be operationally deployed and ever vigilant,” he added.

When asked about recent incidents of Chinese fighter jets flying close to the LAC, he said appropriate non-escalatory measures have been taken and a message was sent to the neighbouring country. “Our overall preparation is a continuous process irrespective of Chinese belligerence,” he said.

In reply to question about when the situation to return to normal in eastern Ladakh, he said the indicator would be when everything returns to status quo ante and there is completion of disengagement in all friction points.

Referring to the ambitious theaterisation plan, the Air Chief Marshal said the IAF understands imperatives of joint planning and execution with sister forces for future wars. “We are not opposed to tri-services integration; our reservations are relating to only certain structures,” he said.

The Chief of Air Staff also said that the IAF is in sync with the government on self-reliance in defence production.
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