Advanced landing facility to be unveiled in Arunachal

(Times of  India) : Continuing with its strategy to counter China's build-up of military infrastructure all along the unresolved border, India is going to "fully re-activate" an advanced landing ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh.

Defence ministry sources said the "upgraded" Vijayanagar ALG, at the tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar in the Changlang district of Arunachal, is likely to be inaugurated on Friday, with the landing of an AN-32 medium-lift aircraft. "The runway and other facilities have been upgraded to ensure more types of aircraft can operate from there," said a source.

This comes after India has re-activated its eastern Ladakh ALGs like Nyoma, Daulat Beg Oldi and Fukche over the last couple of years. Plans are in motion to convert Nyoma, located just 23-km from the Line of Actual Control with China at an altitude of 13,300-feet into a full-fledged airbase after an AN-32 landed there in September, 2009.

Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne recently held IAF wanted a 12,000-feet runway capable of handling fighters as well as transport aircraft at Nyoma to ensure India got "both defensive and offensive options".

As reported earlier, apart from progressively basing Sukhoi-30MKI fighters in the north-east, IAF is also upgrading other eastern sector ALGs like Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting and Ziro as well as several helipads in Arunachal.

Defence minister A K Antony has himself held that, after "negligence in the past", India is taking counter-measures as part of "a conscious strategy" to strengthen military infrastructure, strike capabilities and operational logistics in the eastern sector.

The measures range from planning a new mountain strike corps (over 45,000 troops) after raising two new mountain infantry divisions, with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers in Nagaland and Assam, to the progressive deployment of Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, spy drones, helicopters and missile squadrons in the north-east.