NEW DELHI: As part of the fortification of the National Capital Region (NCR) against an aerial attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to deploy fighter jets and surface-to-air missile systems to track and intercept incoming ballistic and cruise missiles, and rogue aircraft.
The augmentation of assets is in addition to the deployment of six newly-acquired special operation C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, near Delhi.
Proposals have been made to strengthen the Joint Command and Analysis Centre, comprising of IAF and civil aviation authorities, with radars to identify any rogue aircrafts, combat jets to scramble them, and advanced missile systems to shoot them down if required.
On the enhancement of security of the NCR airspace, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne said during the Air Force Day, “Since Hindon is the closest base, it could actually be the right place to base the air-defence fighters.”
Most probably, the frontline Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets or the yet-to-be-acquired Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft will be stationed at Hindon. The proposal, with an estimated cost of `5,000 crore, has got in-principle approval from the Defence Ministry. It will soon be presented before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the Prime Minister.
“We need to bulwark against threats, in the changing scenario. Fighter jets in Hindon would help in cutting down reaction time for scrambling aircraft,” an official said. Presently, the nearest fighter bases to Delhi are at Ambala, Sirsa and Bareilly, from where it would take over 15 minutes to reach Delhi’s skies. Those at Hindon would take about five minutes.
Fighters were based in Hindon till 1997. Due to a slew of crashes caused by bird hits, they were moved out of the NCR.
The present proposal to upgrade air defence around Delhi was mooted by the Defence Ministry in 2003, in the aftermath of 9/11, when terrorists rammed hijacked airliners into the World Trade Centre at New York, killing thousands and changing the way nations perceive the threat of terrorism.
The IAF has recently revamped the infrastructure at Hindon airbase, to station their newly acquired special operation C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, which are capable of striking behind enemy lines in covert operations. They can be readied on short notice, and can take-off and land at short, unpaved runways. In fact, it’s the only aircraft in IAF’s inventory that can operate in pitch dark conditions.