Sinlung /
29 November 2012

Indian, Chinese Aircraft Come Face To Face Near Arunachal

Indian, Chinese fighter aircraft come face to face near Arunachal border  

New Delhi, Nov 29
: Chinese nuclear-capable SU-27 fighter aircraft came close to a confrontation with Indian Air Force jets on October 30 afternoon  in the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh, says a report in the Delhi tabloid Mail Today.

The news report, said to be based on reports filed by the IAF and external intelligence agency RAW, says,  on October 30, some IAF jets were on a routine sortie mission in Arunachal Pradesh, when the Chinese People's Liberation Army  Air Force's Lhasa-based radar picked them up, setting off a chain reaction.

At 3:04 pm, two chinese nuclear-armed Sukhoi-27 jets took off from Gonggar air base in Tibet to confront the IAF jets.  The Chinese aircraft, according to the Mail Today report, flew southeast towards the Indian side, and were picked up on the radar at 3:29 pm near Cuona.

The drama lasted for nearly 50 minutes, just 30 km short of the Line of Actual Control, but the Chinese fighter aircraft realizing that the IAF jets had no intention of any offensive move, turned back, says the report.

The Research and Analysis Wing sent to the government a report on the incident on November 9.

The newspaper report says the radars twice lost track of the Chinese Sukhoi-27 aircraft, giving anxious moments to the top IAF brass. The Indian jet fighters too disappeared from the radar once, says the report.

The Chinese Sukhoi-27 aircraft was provided tactical radar support by the 42 Radar Regiment of the PLAAF, which is deployed all over Tibet.

The PLAAF is Asia's largest air force with nearly 1,600 aircraft. China has already five operational airfields in Gonggar, Pangta Linchi, Hoping and Gar Gunsa.  

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