Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari on Wednesday stated that the Indian Air Force was prepared to deal with any two-front threat scenario involving China and Pakistan. He said China’s enhanced infrastructure buildup will not affect India’s combat readiness, The Indian Express said.

Responding to China’s presence near the Line of Actual Control, ACM Chaudhari said India is fully prepared to deal with any situation. “China continues its deployment at three airbases in the Tibet region. We are fully prepared to deal with any situation on our side. China’s capability to launch multiple high altitude missions would remain weak,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

He added that the partnership between China and Pakistan need not be feared and “the only worry is western technology passing from Pakistan to China.”

 The newly-appointed chief was speaking at a press conference ahead of the 89th anniversary of the Indian Air Force set to be held on Friday, October 8.

ACM Chaudhari emphasised that the IAF is committed to the theaterisation programme and keen on the integration of the three armed forces. “The joint planning and execution of operations by the three services will result in a maximum increase in our net combat capability,” he said.

He added that the strengths of each force should be taken into account and deliberations on the subject are underway.

He said that IAF’s offensive strike capability has become more potent with the integration of new weapons and the induction of Rafale and Apache jets. He also spoke about IAF’s steps towards protecting India’s infrastructure from cyber attacks.

Regarding India’s drone capabilities, ACM Chaudhari stated that the air force will give contracts to startups to develop swarm drones based on competition. They will also allow startups to design counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), as part of IAF’s effort to develop indigenous anti-drone capability, Indian agencies said. 

ACM Chaudhari took charge as the Chief of Air Staff from Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on September 30, 2021. An ace fighter pilot, he was earlier in charge of the Ladakh sector during the peak of the crisis with China.