NEW DELHI, Aug 20:Months after stand-off with PLA troops in Daulat Beig Oldie, India today sent out a message to China operating medium-lift C-130J transport plane there, marking a giant leap in capacity to ferry troops and supplies to Line of Actual Control.
The Super Hercules transport plane landed at the world’s highest and recently-activated Daulat Beig Oldie airstrip in Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time.
Significantly, the landing took place on a day when India and China held strategic dialogue after a gap of three years where they discussed the recent spate of incursions and ways to maintain peace along the LAC.
The achievement will enable the armed forces to use the medium-lift aircraft to induct troops and supplies in larger number, improve communication network and also serve as a morale booster for maintenance of troops positioned there.
“A C-130J Super Hercules landed at DBO, the highest airstrip in the world at 0654 hours today. The Commanding Officer and the crew of the ‘Veiled Vipers’ along with senior officers touched down on the DBO airstrip located at 16614 feet (5065 meters) in the Aksai Chin area,” the IAF said in a statement.
The airfield was reactivated by the IAF in 2008 with the landing of an Antonov-32 aircraft there from Chandigarh after it was last used in the 1965 war with Pakistan.
In April, the area saw a 21-day stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops who came and pitched tents in the vicinity of the airfield and returned only after several rounds of flag meetings between both sides.
“Once again this strategic base in the Northern Himalayas gained importance when it was resurrected and reactivated by the IAF along with the Indian Army and made operational when a twin engine AN-32 aircraft from Chandigarh landed there after a gap of 43 years (in 2008),” the IAF said.
The decision to deploy the C-130J, which is capable of lifting up to 20 tonnes of load, was taken by the IAF considering the lower load carrying capability of AN-32s and helicopters.
The IAF has been operating the An-32s in the area for quite some time and they landed at the base even after the stand-off with China there.
In the recent past, India has augmented its airlift capabilities along the LAC by reactivating air fields in DBO, Fuk Che in Ladakh and eight Advanced Landing Grounds in Arunachal Pradesh.
“With this enhanced airlift capability, the IAF will now be in a better position to meet the requirements of our land forces who are heavily dependent on the air bridge for sustenance in these higher and inhospitable areas,” the Air Force said.
The tactical transport aircraft of the special operations squadron is capable of undertaking quick deployment of forces in all weather conditions, including airdrops, besides landing on unprepared or semi-prepared surfaces. It created history today by landing at this altitude and hostile terrain conditions.
“This achievement qualifies for the world record for the highest landing by an aircraft of this class,” it said. Incidentally, this was the same aircraft and crew that operated at Dharasu during ‘Op Rahat’ for the Uttarakhand flood relief.
Chinese troops had pitched tents in Depsang Valley near Daulat Beg Oldie in April, remained there for 21 days and left only after several rounds of flag meetings between the two sides.
Meanwhile, India and China today discussed the recent spate of incursions and ways to maintain peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas.
During the 5th round of India-China Strategic Dialogue, resumed after nearly three years, the two sides discussed key bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest including ways to reduce trade deficit and trans-border rivers, Ministry of External Affairs said here.
The Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and the Chinese side was led by Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin during the dialogue which discussed ways to maintain peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, the MEA said.
This comes in the backdrop of series of Chinese incursion in Ladakh sector, including a major 21-day-long “face-to-face” situation in April.
The two sides also took stock of developments in bilateral ties since the visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here and also prepared the ground for a possible visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to China later this year.
The three-hour-long meeting also focused on ways to expand bilateral trade and investment while addressing problems of the large and growing deficit faced by India.
Setting up of industrial investment parks in the country to get inflow of money by entering into an MoU to this effect and export of cotton fabric to China with a target of USD six billion were among the points discussed in the meet.
In a bid to address the trade deficit in short-term period, the two sides also discussed the possibility of increase in export of buffalo meat to China, a pact for such an export was inked during Li’s visit in May here. The Chinese demand for Indian buffalo could be worth USD 1 billion a year, according to officials.
India is currently the world’s largest exporter of buffalo meat selling USD 3.2 billion to more than 65 countries.
The two sides also talked about the potential and prospect for Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor with India identifying its share of the component and now awaiting Chinese response.
During the Strategic Dialogue, India and China also discussed future cooperation in the BRICS framework and ways of ensuring an open, inclusive and transparent architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.
The two sides also shared the outlook for Afghanistan in 2014 and beyond.
Later, Vice Foreign Minister Liu called on External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
The 6th India-China Strategic Dialogue will be held at Beijing at a mutually convenient time, the MEA said. (PTI)
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