China's Most Advanced Stealth Fighters Deployed 150 Km From Sikkim

NEW DELHI, May 30: Satellite images gathered on May 27 show that China has deployed its most advanced J-20 stealth fighter jets less than 150 kilometres from the boundary with India in Sikkim.

The image reveals the presence of six Chinese Air Force J-20 stealth fighters on the flight-line at a dual-use military and civilian airport which serves Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet. The airport lies at an altitude of 12,408 feet, making it among the highest airports in the world. A KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft is also visible.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is aware of the deployment of the J-20 fighters, has declined to comment on their presence at this time.

"The J-20 stealth fighter is China's most advanced operational fighter aircraft to date, and these aircraft are predominantly based in the eastern provinces of China," according VP for Technology and Analysis at All Source Analysis. "Seeing these aircraft appear at Shigatse in Tibet positions them on a deployment outside of their normal areas of operations and within proximity of the Indian border."

India counters the J-20 with its fleet of 36 French-built Rafale fighters, eight of which have presently flown to Alaska for advanced air combat exercises with the United States Air Force (USAF). Significantly, Shigatse, where the Chinese J-20 has been spotted, lies less than 290 km from Hasimara in West Bengal, where India bases its second squadron of 16 Rafales.

This isn't the first time the J-20 has been deployed in Tibet. The jets have been observed in Xinjiang in China's Hotan prefecture between 2020 and 2023. This, however, is believed to be the largest deployment of the J-20 which has been spotted by commercially available satellite imagery.

The Chengdu J-20, also known as the Mighty Dragon, is a twin-engine stealth fighter which was introduced into service in 2017. Some reports suggest China may already have deployed as many as 250 of the stealth fighters which are difficult to observe by radar.

With the induction of the fighter, China emerged as the third country in the world to operationally field stealth fighters. The jet, which is equipped with an array of sensors, is being constantly modernised. Its primary role is as an air superiority fighter, and it carries China's most advanced air-to-air missiles, including the PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile which is believed to have the ability of striking aerial targets up to 300 km away.

"China has steadily built up its air power capacity in Tibet and other areas near India over the past five years. This has primarily consisted of the construction of new air bases and upgrading the infrastructure at existing air bases," says Sim Tack. China has also begun deploying aircraft such as the J-20 and its H-6 nuclear-capable bombers to these border regions, at least on a temporary basis.

India matches this Chinese airfield expansion by significantly upgrading its own airbases with hardened shelters for its aircraft in addition to expanding its tiered surface-to-air missile defences, which has included the deployment of the Russian-built S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system in eastern India. The deployment of the S-400 system, which reportedly has the ability to track stealth platforms, is designed to deter offensive Chinese fighter sweeps along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

India Successfully Tests Anti-Radiation Missile 'Rudram-II'

NEW DELHI, May 29: India successfully test-fired an air-surface anti-radiation missile from a Su-30MKI fighter jet. The RudraM-II anti-radiation supersonic missile is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The flight test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm. Rudram missile is the first indigenously developed anti-radiation missile designed to target enemy ground radars (surveillance, tracking) and communication stations in Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions.

The Rudram-II is the latest version after the mark-1 version was tested four years ago by Su-30MKI, the backbone of India's fighter fleet.

An indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system, Rudram-II is one of the finest and meant to neutralise many types of enemy assets. India currently operates the Russian Kh-31, an anti-radiation missile. The Rudram missiles will replace the Kh-31s.

"The performance of the Rudram-II missile has been validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur at various locations, including the on-board ship," a statement said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, IAF and industry on the successful test-flight of Rudram-II. The successful test has consolidated the role of the RudraM-II system as a force multiplier to the Armed Forces, he said.

The missile can be launched from a range of altitudes and can pick up enemy radio frequencies and signals from radars from a range of over 100 km. The missile can operate in Lock-On-Before/After-Launch systems. The internal guidance system of the missile allows it to direct itself toward the target after the launch.

The Rudram-1 version was test-fired from Sukhoi in 2020 off the east coast of Odisha. The Rudram-1 version has two seekers - A passive-homing head seeker, which can detect and classify targets over a range of radio frequencies and one Millimetre Wave (MMW) seeker that helps the missile to operate in different weather conditions.

The mark-1 version has a range of 100-150 km and can reach up to speeds of Mach 2 (two times the speed of sound). It has a launch altitude range of 1 km to 15 km.

In 2022, the Indian Air Force proposed the acquisition of the Next Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM) in a ₹ 1,400 crore deal. Reports suggest the missile can be launched from the Mirage 2000 multirole fighter aircraft. Adani Defence has partnered with DRDO in mass-producing the Rudram-I missile.