(TibetanReview.net, Feb06, 2018) – China is said to have upped its threat posturing against India across the Doklam border near the state of Sikkim with additional deployment of major military assets. Indian media reports said Feb 4-5 that China had deployed fighter jets and various other types of military assets in a clear posture of provocation.
Compared to last year, there is a 20 percent increase in fighter assets alone, reported timesnownews.com Feb 4. And this has come about a time when the airspace in the area is not supposed to be used, noted zeenews.india.com Feb 5.
The report said China had deployed as many as 51 fighter jets in the Tibet region, with eight on the Lhasa Gonggar airport. Besides, 22 Mi-17 helicopters, one KJ 500 airborne early warning (AEW) eye-in-the-sky aircraft and also, surface to air missile systems were stated to be deployed there.
In the Hoping-Rikaze (ie, Shigatse) area in southern Tibet, 18 fighter jets were reported to be deployed, made up of 4 J-10 aircraft, 10 J-11 and 4 JH-7 aircraft. There were also 11 Mi-17, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and surface to air missiles, the report said.
In Kashi, there are 12 Chinese fighter aircraft, made up of 8 JH-7 and 4 J-11 aircraft. Besides, there was deployment of surface to air missiles here too, said the timesnownews.com report.
Some aircraft have also been seen in other areas, with additional aircraft deployed opposite the Sikkim sector.
Unusually, the “current level of deployment of fighter aircraft is likely to continue during the winter months,” the report said.
