Is China upping the ante against India with its Gonkar airbase?

Intelligence intercepts and satellite monitoring has confirmed a disturbing development - China is starting an all weather airfield near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa braving extreme weather conditions. The airfield at Gonkar will have Sukhoi-27 fighters  deployed there which will give China a strategic location from where they will have better reach of targets from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

Sources told CNN-IBN that the airfield may be being built in retaliation to the Indian Air Force setting up a base of Sukhoi-30 fighters in Tezpur and Chabua in Assam. These fighter jets can strike within a 1000 km radius and can hit targets within China and Tibet.

Former RAW officer Jaidev Ranade said, “I would personally say that the development and upgradation of Gonkar airfield started well before India started its infrastructure upgradation. Upgrading by us of our defence infrastructure has taken off only in the last five odd years.”

“They have also increased the number of airfields around Tibet, which are at lower altitudes at Yunnan. This can also up the ante when there is a crisis, “he added.

The Chinese Air Force fighters were observed there in winter and with the onset of summer they are still stationed there suggesting that China might be bolstering support infrastructure for the base as well.

China has several advantages of having the airfield at that location. Gonkar is at an altitude of 15000 feet and though the fighters can take off with less weapons payload or fuel, China has overcome this problem by stationing an aerial refueling aircraft at Gonkar or nearby air stations.

(inputs from CNN-IBN)