The IAF on Tuesday created a record of sorts by airlifting nearly 500 tons of load from Chandigarh in a single wave to airfields and drop zones in the Ladakh region as part of winter stocking. The region remains cut off from the rest of the country through land route due to snow and the IAF plays a crucial role in maintaining operational readiness of the army deployed on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) facing China through round the year logistical maintenance.
The feat was accomplished by a fleet of 16 fixed wing aircraft comprising C-17 Globemaster, the IL-76 and AN-32. “All aircraft were loaded and took off from Chandigarh airbase early in the morning. The entire wave was accomplished in little less than six hours,” IAF said.
This was a demonstration of the ‘rapid airlift capability’ of the IAF for quick response both during times of war and natural disasters and the Western Air Command (WAC) airlifted a record 463 tonnes.
The WAC is entrusted with the air maintenance of the entire northern region of the country and under normal operating circumstances airlifts close to 3,000 tonnes of load per month.
Air Marshall NJS Dhillon, Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of Western Air Command under whose direction the effort was undertaken observed that rapid air mobility is a key component of modern warfare. “This assumes greater significance in short and intense wars. This is very true in India’s context, especially when related to air mobility to airfields in the Ladakh region,” he said.
Airlift of approximately 500 tonnes, in the achieved time frame, in a single wave, happens to be a record which enhances the assessment of the Commands’ capability towards rapid and heavy airlift, the IAF statement added.
Given the strategic importance of Ladakh region, the IAF in the last few years has built airfields in the inaccessible areas to ensure uninterrupted supply of weapons, equipment and food to the troops posted on the LAC. They have to march for three to four days from the nearest road head to reach some of posts on the front.
Moreover, construction of airfields and advanced landing grounds(ALG) in the Ladakh region is a tough call given the terrain and climate where building activity is restricted only five to six summer months before snow blocks everything.