The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been practicing shooting targets mimicking Chinese spy balloons at very high-altitudes with a Rafale fighter jet.
The contingency plans are being carried out by the Air Force after a 200-foot-tall intelligence-gathering Chinese balloon flew over continental US for several days in January – February 2023 before it was finally shot down off the coast of South Carolina by an American F-22 Raptor using an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.
Following this, the US had shared information with India and other countries about the incident.
IAF working on contingency plan
“The IAF formulated TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures) to handle such contingencies. It has been practising the capability to interject in such situations at different flight envelopes,” a report by Times of India quoted a source as saying.
IAF shoots down Chinese spy-balloon like target
A report by ANI quoted defence sources as saying that a Chinese spy balloon-like target, flying at an altitude of over 15 kilometers, was shot down by IAF using a Rafale fighter jet a few months ago under the Eastern Air Command’s area of responsibility.
As per a report by The Tribune, an IAF Rafale fighter jet, based at Hasimara, in West Bengal’s northern part, used one of its onboard missiles to shoot down the spy balloon, though smaller than the one shot down by the US Air Force in early 2023.
The Tribune report also mentioned that the IAF has informed the government about the sighting of a Chinese spy balloon, carrying a payload, over Indian skies and shooting it down.
Meanwhile, the shooting down of the Chinese spy balloon showcased the capability of the Air Force to handle airborne threats.
The Air Force has since been developing standard operating procedures to address any kind of similar aerial threats in the future, aiming to respond quickly and effectively to surveillance balloons.
Not the first time
In early 2022, a high-altitude balloon-like object was sighted over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal, but it was not shot down as India does not deploy fighters on the archipelago on a permanent basis, though IAF fighters do operate from the islands on short-term detachments for exercises.
A report by India Today quoted experts as saying that these balloons are equipped with some form of steering mechanism, enabling them to hover over areas of interest for prolonged periods.
Beijing has been regularly deploying its ‘spy’ vessels in the Bay of Bengal and southern India Ocean to track India’s ballistic missile launches and map oceanographic and other crucial data related to navigation and submarine operations.
With inputs from agencies.
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China sends ‘spy’ balloon with payload to India, IAF shoots it down with Rafale
