In further escalating the hostilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), China has reportedly stationed its cutting-edge J-20 stealth fighters at a Tibetan airfield in the eastern region bordering India. The deployment of J-20 comes amid an ongoing military standoff between the two countries along the LAC which is now in its fifth year.
New commercial satellite images reveal that the People’s Liberation Army-Air Force (PLAAF) has positioned six J-20 fighters at the Shigatse dual-use airport, located just 155 kilometers from the LAC and near Doklam, close to the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction, Times of India reported. This is in addition to several J-10 jets and a KJ-500 AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control) aircraft already stationed there.
“Multiple (satellite) images collected over the course of the same day indicate these aircraft (J-20s) arrived at the air base on May 27, preceded by the arrival of a Y-20 transport aircraft for the probable deployment of ground crew and support equipment,” All Source Analysis, a geospatial intelligence organization, posted on X.
In the eastern sector, alongside the Sukhoi-30MKI fighters based at Hasimara, Chabua, and Tezpur, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also deployed a squadron of 18 French-origin Rafale omni-role jets at the Hasimara air base in West Bengal, with another squadron at Ambala for the western front with Pakistan.
To mitigate its air combat disadvantage caused by high-altitude terrain challenges, China has bolstered its forces by deploying additional fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, and drones. This follows upgrades to its airfields such as Hotan, Kashgar, Gargunsa, Shigatse, Bangda, Nyingchi, and Hoping. The enhancements include constructing new runways, extending existing ones, and building new hardened shelters, as well as fuel and ammunition storage facilities at these airfields.
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