Not worried over Chinese moves: Air Chief

(Deccan Herald) : In the backdrop of US official reports suggesting that China was deploying nuclear-capable missiles along the borders with India, the Air Force today said it was not ''worried'' over these developments and has its own plans to deal with the issue.

"These are all known, it is nothing that we are worried about. We have our own plans and we are moving ahead with our own plans. These are the realities we have to deal with," Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne told reporters on the sidelines of a CII event here. He was responding to a query on the US Pentagon reports suggesting that the Chinese People's Liberation Army has deployed nuclear missiles along the borders. However, the Pentagon reports have been dismissed by the Chinese government also. Asked that what could India learn from China in developing its indigenous aerospace industry, the IAF chief said, "One thing that one could learn from them is that they don't attempt to do everything themselves." "Once you start the Research and Development and then wait and wait, then you make it the test-tube model, it takes you 20-30 years (to finalise the project)," he said. Browne said that though India doesn't have direct evidence, but "we still do know that despite all the sanctions and all other things, they (China) got a fair amount of technology from outside." Browne said the Chinese were spending "a lot of money on R &D. In case of our PSUs, the existing levels are very low." Asked about its plans to upgrade the Nyoma ALG into a full-fledged airfield, Browne said the proposal was with the Government. In the recent past, India has deployed its fighter aircraft including the frontline Su-30MKI in Assam and is in the process of upgrading its Advanced Landing Grounds in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh