‘Navy prepared for twin challenges of pandemic and China’
P-8I long range reconnaissance aircraft was deployed post the developments in eastern Ladakh, said Navy chief
The Indian Navy is prepared to face the dual challenges of the pandemic and China’s attempts to alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said on Thursday.
India’s security situation has become more complex due to the border tussle with Beijing, Singh told reporters on the eve of Navy Day. The P-8I long range reconnaissance aircraft was deployed in response to the developments in eastern Ladakh, he said.
“The P-8I is a potent platform that has certain equipment that can be used at the border. Based on the requirements of the Army and the Indian Air Force we have deployed the P-8I on several occasions. We also used the Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle from one of the northern bases," he said.
The acquisition of a third aircraft carrier, is “an absolute necessity" given India’s ambitions to become a $5- trillion economy, the Navy chief said. However, the Navy has not yet approached the government for this as it is awaiting some information, but would do so soon, he said.
At present, the Indian Navy has just one air craft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, while a second one is being built in India and will undergo advanced trials at sea in 2021. Successive Navy chiefs have stressed on the need for a third carrier, but a fund crunch has delayed the process.
“As the Navy, we are absolutely clear of the utility of the carrier because air operations are integral to naval operations. Air power at sea is absolutely required here and now. The Navy is all about reach and sustenance," Singh said.
“If you are a nation that is aspirational and you want to become a $ 5-trillion economy and you want to do well, you will have to go outwards and seek the world. You have to move outward," he said.
The naval services are facing a resource crunch, but the force was making up for it with increased indigenisation, focusing on precision delivery of ordnance and expanding its networking with navies of other countries, said Singh.
The Navy is prepared with a standard operating procedure to tackle any instance of Chinese ships making any attempt to enter Indian waters. However, no such attempt was detected so far, he said.
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