Jun 6, 2011

The Indian Navy is increasing number of ships in the Eastern Naval Command [ENC] with new warships, aircraft and spy drones as well as forward-operating bases (FOBs). Vice-Admiral S Lanba will be taking over as the new CoS at ENC on May 1, 2011. ENC has around 50 warships at present, include the new indigenously-manufactured stealth frigate INS Shivalik and 16,900-tonne INS Jalashwa, used for amphibious operations. "The next two indigenous stealth frigates being built at Mazagon Docks, INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri, which should be commissioned by 2012, will also be based in ENC. Tuticorin and Paradeep are being developed as FOB and OTR (operational turn-around) bases," a source was reported by the media along with the new fleet tanker, INS Shakti being inducted from Italy by September. The P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft to be based in ENC are slated for induction by early-2013 in Rajali with UAVs at the Parundu air station in Tamil Nadu. At present, Navy has two UAV squadrons based at Kochi and Porbandar, with Parundu and Port Blair next on the agenda.

On the air force side, Eastern Command air bases at Tezpur and Chabua in Assam will house two squadrons of Sukhoi30 warplanes each with one squadron already in location with effect from June 2010 and March 2011 respectively. "Both the bases will have two squadrons of the Sukhois. They already have one squadron each. The next squadrons would be coming within a few years’ time," Eastern Air Command Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Air Marshal KK Nohwar said. The Su30 MKI multi-role combat jets have a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers.

The IAF has phased out the ‘vintage’ MIG 23 and MIG 25. “Once adequate number of Sukhois and other modern aircrafts come in, the MIG21s would also be eventually phased out,” sources said were reported by the media. A Su30 squadron is also likely to be deployed at the Bagdogra air base in the East.

            With Tezpur and Chabua air bases in Assam now allotted two squadrons of Sukhois each and Bagdogra a squadron, the overall strength of heavy fighters in the Eastern Sector would increase to around 100 thereby considerably building up numbers and be able to in some ways attain a sufficiently conventional deterrence posture against China. More over there are also reports of two army divisions having been raised recently thereby expanding the Army strength in the North East as well. This should overcome apprehensions in some quarters of unpreparedness on the Eastern front. However integration of these resources would remain a challenge and there would have to be much that would have to be done at the ground level to ensure that new forces raised have the level of preparedness to jointly pose deterrence.

Given the traction to the China threat theory there has been considerable build up on the Eastern land front by India and it is apparent that the Eastern Naval front with the HQs based in Vishakhapatnam is also getting the act together with accretion of ships. With China’s choke points for oil and gas in Malacca straits under Naval observation there would be major advantages that the Indian Navy would enjoy. While China is also developing oil and gas pipeline through Myanmar to obviate the route through the Straits, these will also be under Indian Naval surveillance as the port of Kyaikpu is likely to be used by the Chinese for this purpose on the Myanmar coastal areas. Thus it is apparent that Indian Navy will be well balanced in the East.

Article by Same Author