2024-09-01 14:06:38
Beijing: China is busy increasing its military infrastructure near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India. Satellite images show that China has built about a dozen helipads close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC). India Today has reported that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has set up a total of ten helipads, spread across important locations near the LAC. More than 150 meters in length, these helipads are part of the PLA’s strategic effort to enhance its rapid military deployment capabilities. They have been built opposite strategically important key Indian locations, including the Daulat Beg Oldi area.
What is China’s plan?
Medium lift helicopters like Mi-17 can be landed on these helipads. This means that they are ready to significantly increase China’s operational capability in high altitude areas. Their location near important strategic areas like Depsang and Gogra clearly shows that their focus is on rapid deployment and improving logistics support. The report said that the PLA is focusing its attention towards the Chip Chip sector of Patrol Point 13, Hot Springs and Gogra areas.
The construction of the helipad is part of a broader pattern of rapid Chinese military preparations. The acceleration in the construction of military infrastructure has taken place against the backdrop of increasingly tense relations between India and China. The border standoff escalated after a violent clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. 20 Indian soldiers and several Chinese soldiers were killed in this conflict. Since then, several rounds of military commander-level talks have taken place between the two sides, but tensions still persist.
China’s transport helicopter fleet
With China building new military infrastructure, it is important to know which helicopters the Chinese army can deploy on these helipads. The newly constructed helipads are directly linked to enhancing the operational capabilities of the Chinese helicopter fleet. These helipads are designed for medium-lift helicopters, focusing on enhancing China’s transportation and logistics capabilities. The PLA’s helicopter fleet mainly consists of three models Z-8, MI-17 and the recently introduced Z-20.
The Russian-designed Mi-17 was adopted by China in the 1990s. It serves as the backbone of the PLA’s transport fleet. China currently has more than 200 Mi-17s in service. It can carry more than 30 soldiers. The Mi-17 is also used by India.