New Delhi: A three-day conference of the top brass of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is starting from Wednesday (July 22) amid the military confrontation with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The Indian Air Force Commanders Conference, which will be held in Delhi to review the country’s air defence capabilities, is expected to see decisions on several crucial issues.
The decision to deploy the newly-acquired Rafale fighter aircraft against the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China in Ladakh may be taken at this conference. By the end of this month, the country is scheduled to receive the first batch of Rafale fighter jet from France.
All the 7 IAF Commander-in-Chiefs are expected to attend this conference to be chaired by Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh may also attend the conference.
The conference will be held from July 22 to 24 at the Air Force Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan). The theme of the conference will be ‘Indian Air Force in the next decade’. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh may inaugurate this conference. The Defense Secretary and Secretary, Defense Production are also expected to be present on the occasion.
IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will preside over the conference. Current military preparations and deployment will be reviewed during the three-day conference. The action plan to increase the military operational capacity of the Indian Air Force over the next decade will also be discussed.
According to information from sources, a main agenda of this conference will be forward deployment in eastern Ladakh and along the northern borders. The Indian Air Force has deployed all the fighter jets of its modern fleet such as the Mirage 2000, Sukhoi-30 MKI, and MiG-29 at the forward bases from where they are operating during both day and night.
Apart from this, Apache attack helicopters have also been deployed at the forward bases along the China border. This helicopter is also continuously carrying out night sorties in the eastern Ladakh region.
