India Scrambles Fighter Jets Whenever Chinese Aircraft Near Ladakh Border: Air Force Chief

The 16th round of cross-border Corps Commander talks was held on Sunday to defuse tensions in eastern Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control, an area where over 50,000 troops from each side have been stationed since June 2020.

India scrambles its fighter jets whenever People's Liberation Army Air Force units are sighted near the border in the western part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Delhi’s Air Force chief said on Sunday.

"Whenever we see Chinese aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft coming too close to the LAC, we take appropriate measures by scrambling or putting our aircraft on higher alert. This has deterred them quite a lot," Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari told ANI in an interview.

The chief went on to claim that PLA fighter jets "provoked" India in recent weeks.

Delhi has bolstered its surface-to-air weapon capabilities along the borders and increased mobile observation posts. Chaudhari said that the S-400 air defense missile system is being deployed "to both China and Pakistan borders."

On Thursday, the Indian Foreign Ministry underlined that India "will not countenance any unilateral attempt to change the status quo at the LAC."

The Corp Commanders of the Indian Army and China's PLA held another round of talks on the Indian side of Chushul Moldo on Sunday, discussing ways to disengage troops at patrolling points 15 or Hot Springs at the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The disengagement in the Depsang Bulge, a 972 sq km plateau, will be held after resolving the issues at Hot Springs.

The ongoing military standoff between the two Asian giants erupted in April 2020 over border infrastructure works, with the two armies accusing each other of violating border agreements. The standoff escalated into a violent clash on June 15-16, 2020, killing 20 Indian soldiers and four PLA troops.