INDIA-CHINA BORDER DISPUTE
Font Size 
Chinese chopper violated Indian airspace: Army
Published on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 15:31, Updated on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 20:08 in India section
Tags: Indian Army, China , New Delhi
Related Stories
Photogallery
 |  |
New Delhi: Indian Army Chief of Staff General Deepak Kapoor on Monday admitted that Chinese helicopters had violated the Indian airspace along the Line of Actual Control in Leh.
"There has been one incursion of a Chinese helicopter sometime back. At times this can also happen due to navigation error but this is not to justify that the incursion took place. It has happened and that has been taken up in the border personnel meeting with the Chinese," General Kapoor said in New Delhi.
According to reports at least two violations by Chinese helicopters had taken place in the past few months.
Two Chinese helicopters reportedly violated the Indian airspace recently in Ladakh area of Leh. The helicopters air-dropped some canned food in a barren land at Chumar, northeast of Leh, along the border on June 21.
The MI series helicopters were reported to the nearby defence post by local residents who live along the Pangong Lake.
The incursions prompted the Army Aviation Corps to scramble its own aircraft, but the Chinese helicopters had retreated behind their lines by the time.
Moreover it is not only the aggression shown by Chinese forces that is worrying the Indian defence establishment.
India is also facing threat on the western front from Pakistan with US media reporting that Pakistani forces have illegally modified the US supplied Harpoon missile. Some reports also accused Pakistan of modifying American-made P-3C aircraft for land-attack missions.
The new Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, who took over on Monday from Admiral Sureesh Mehta, said that the Harpoon missile issue showed that whenever weapons have been supplied to Pakistan, they have been used against India.
The US has reportedly accused Pakistan of illegally modifying the American-made Harpoon missiles to enhance their capability and to enable them to strike land targets in India.
The accusation came when the Obama Administration has been asking the Congress to approve $7.5 billion in aid to Pakistan over the next five years.
However, Pakistan denied the accusations saying India has nothing to worry about and said that Pakistan was a peaceful neighbour and a democratic country.
But an unconvinced outgoing chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta said that the reports showed the danger of weapons proliferation.
"This is a danger of proliferation. We have taken up with the Americans the issue of Pakistan modifying Harpoon missiles to attack land targets. Clearly this is a threat to India. This obviously has nothing to do with self-defence. it is going to be used against Indian interest," former Naval chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said after stepping down as the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee following his retirement as the Indian Navy chief.
General Kapoor has taken over as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
| Ads by Google |
| Related Ads: | |
Read Comment | Post Comment
Sir,
there is a concern of china entering into our airspace.
there should get permission before entering our
Read Comment
General Kapoor, we all know Chinese have violates india space, what we want to know is your army further steps...this
Read Comment
What will the Indian Government do about this unfriendly act. Lump it or do the same that the Chinese did.
Read Comment
Read more comment »