look news india
New Delhi, 06 October (Hindustan Reporter). The Indian Air Force has achieved the capability to shoot down spy balloons at high altitude in the Eastern Air Command area using Rafale fighter aircraft. This operation took place at an altitude of more than 55 thousand feet, which exposed Indian strategic capabilities like American efforts against Chinese spy balloons. The balloon was released into the air with some payload and then shot down using an inventory missile.
In fact, in early 2023, the US used a fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter jet to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. Since then, the Indian Air Force had been discussing the issue of dealing with the challenge posed by such balloons flying at high altitudes and had also discussed it with the US Air Force last year. Defense sources said the Indian Air Force had used Rafale fighter jets to shoot down a target such as a Chinese spy balloon in the Eastern Air Command's area of responsibility a few months ago. The Air Force used balloons relatively small in size, smaller than Chinese spy balloons.
An Indian Air Force official associated with this operation said that the balloon was released into the air with some payload and then it was shot down using an inventory missile at an altitude of more than 55 thousand feet. The Indian Air Force proved this capability when the current chief of staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, was in charge of overall operations as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff. The current Deputy Chief Air Marshal SP Dharkar was the Eastern Air Commander at that time. The then Director General Air Operations Air Marshal Surat Singh is now the Eastern Air Commander.
A Chinese spy-like balloon was spotted over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands region in India and it is believed that the balloons are used to conduct surveillance over a large area. However, no action was taken against it until three-four days after it was spotted, after which it went away. It is also believed that Chinese spy balloons have some kind of steering system and can be used to remain stationary over their areas of interest. The Air Force is also preparing its standard operating procedure to take action against such threats in future.