Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

China, Pak drones breaching airspace: India

December 17, 2010 11:57 IST
Spy drones from Pakistan and China are regularly straying into the Indian airspace complained the Indian military.       

According to a report in the Financial Times, Union Defence Minister A K Antony said that Indian has witnessed nearly 30 violations of its airspace by foreign aircraft, including unmanned aircraft from neighbouring countries, in the past three years. 

Unmanned aerial vehicles -- known as drones -- and military aircraft had crossed into Indian airspace over the disputed Kashmir area with most violations coming from Pakistan, said Antony.

"The fact that the violations are happening is enough. Something needs to be done," said Shashindra Pal Tyagi, former head of the Indian air force.

Their complaints came against the background of the three-day visit to India by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, reports the Financial Times.

While Wen acknowledged that the border dispute over the state of Arunachal Pradesh would "not easily be resolved", he made no mention of the threat of terrorism, which is a key concern to India.

A senior Pakistani official told the Financial Times that China was helping Pakistan to develop armed UAVs.

"China is helping Pakistan in this area. Pakistan needs drones for its genuine defence purposes and our Chinese brothers have once again risen to our expectations," the official said.

Indian military advisers are also worried about China's development of drone technology. They are urging New Delhi's defence establishment to invest in drones to patrol the Himalayas, the border with Pakistan and Maoist-held areas in India.