NEW DELHI – Indian Air Force has been given go ahead by the Centralgovernment to set up a new fighter operational base near the borders withPakistan.
Indian Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Wednesday cleared a long-pending Indian Air Force (IAF)plan to set up a forward fighter base close to Deesa in Banaskanthadistrict, near India’s western border in northwest Gujarat, adding teeth toits military capabilities against Pakistan, Hindustan Times has reported.
Indian Air Force has long been asking for the forward operating Base alongPakistan border.
Defence ministry officials said on condition of anonymity that the CCS hascleared the initial investment of around Rs 1,000 crore to extend therunway, build fighter-pens and administrative facilities.
“The proposal for converting the small Deesa airport with a 1,000-metrerunway, which was used for helicopter landings and VVIP movements, has beengathering dust for quite some time. The fact is that 4,000 acres for theair base, which will plug the critical air defence gap between the Barmerand Bhuj air bases, was acquired nearly two decades ago. This decision waspushed by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman,” said one of the officials.
Although the defence ministry is tight-lipped about which fighters will bebased in Deesa, it is a fact that the new base will increase IAF’s abilityto respond swiftly in case of any hostilities in India’s western skies.
Two former IAF chiefs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described thedevelopment as very significant. “The Deesa base will fill an important gapbetween Barmer in the north and Bhuj/Naliya in the west,” said one of thetwo chiefs. “We have constructed a boundary wall there and have somepersonnel stationed there. It’s time to get started now,” he added.
The base will come under the Air Force’s Gandhinagar-headquartered SouthWestern Air Command (SWAC), which was headed by IAF chief Air Chief MarshalBirender Singh Dhanoa in 2014-15. SWAC’s area of responsibility coversGujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and Deesa will be the ninth base underit.
Setting up a full-fledged fighter base could eventually cost upwards of Rs4,000 crore and it will be crucial for the government to earmark funds sothat the project is not delayed any further, the former chief said.
Money will be critical at a time the Indian military is facing a fundcrunch, as revealed in a string of reports tabled in Parliament this month.For instance, the IAF whose projected requirement in 2018-19 was Rs1,14,526 crore received an allocation of Rs 65,891 crore.