*New Delhi: *Amid the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Monday (October 5) that the Indian Air Force is very "well-positioned" to deal with any threat and very strong deployments have been made in all relevant areas considering the security scenario.
ANI quoted him as saying, "It depends on how the talks progress. The talks towards disengagement, followed by de-escalation, are on. We hope that the talks will progress along the lines that are expected: IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria, when asked 'how do you see the next 3 months play out in eastern Ladakh?'
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IAF chief further said, "current progress is slow, what we see is an increase in an effort to dig-in for winter, in terms of forces on ground, in terms of deployment of air assets in air fields close by.
China will use Skardu (airfield in Gilgit-Baltistan) is an open-ended question. But if China needs to take Pakistan's help to confront us, I have nothing to say. If Skardu gets used by China then it is a collusive threat and we will deal with it accordingly," IAF Chief added.
Addressing a press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8, IAF chief said Chinese airpower can't get the better of India's capabilities but at the same time added that there is no question of underestimating the adversary, adding that the IAF is prepared to deal with a two-front war along the northern and western borders if such a scenario arises.
When asked about the situation in eastern Ladakh and a possible threat from China in the region, Bhadauria said, "Be rest assured that we have deployed strongly to deal with any contingency," adding "We have made deployment in all relevant areas; Ladakh is a small part."