In the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the two sides fought each other on land, and the smoke of gunpowder was filled. While the Indian Army was retreating, Indian generals repeatedly asked the government to send in the air force in an attempt to turn the tide of the war. However, Prime Minister Nehru repeatedly issued urgent telegrams ordering the air force to remain unmoved. Why was Nehru so cautious? What was he worried about? Was the Chinese air force really capable of delivering a devastating blow to India at that time? What was the contrast between the two air forces in this war? Let's uncover this little-known history.

Our army counterattacked, the Indian lieutenant general wanted to send out the air force, and Nehru urgently telegraphed: So Kolkata will be bombed

A true comparison of the air forces of China and India in 1962

By 1962, both the Chinese and Indian air forces had developed into modernly equipped air forces. However, due to differences in geopolitics and the international situation, the focus of air force construction and combat readiness of the two sides are very different.

At that time, the Indian Air Force could be described as "pampered", thanks to the strong support of Western countries such as Britain and the United States, the Indian Air Force had a large number of advanced fighters, bombers and transport aircraft. According to statistics, the Indian Air Force is equipped with nearly 200 jet fighters such as "Vampire" and "Hunter", and more than 100 bombers and transport aircraft. Most of these equipment are directly provided or authorized by the United Kingdom and the United States, with advanced performance and sufficient quantity.

In contrast, although the PLA Air Force also has hundreds of jet fighters, they are mainly Soviet-made MiG-15 and MiG-17, which are comparable in performance to the Indian army's Hunter fighters, but slightly inferior in number. In terms of bombers, the Chinese Air Force has dozens of Tu-4 and Tu-2 bombers, of which the Tu-4 was the only strategic bomber in China at that time, which is unique in Asia. In terms of transport aircraft, the Chinese Air Force has a sufficient number of Y-5, Il-12 and other models, but the range and carrying capacity are not as good as the Indian Army's C-119 and other American-made transport aircraft.

Although the quality of the equipment is slightly inferior, the Chinese Air Force has an advantage in the quality of pilots and combat experience. Most of the pilots of our air force are veterans who participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, have actual combat experience, and are skilled in flying skills. In contrast, Indian pilots, although well-trained, lacked combat experience.

However, the performance of equipment and the quality of personnel are not the only factors that determine the battle situation, and the quality of airfields and support conditions is often more critical. In this regard, the Indian Air Force has taken advantage of the right time and place.

The flat terrain in northern India, which borders the Sino-Indian border, is conducive to the construction of airports. The Indian Air Force has built a large number of forward airfields and deployed a large number of warplanes there. In the event of a war, these airfields will be like sharp knives stuck in the hinterland of China's Tibet, threatening the deep areas of our army.

In contrast, the Tibetan region has a high altitude and a harsh climate, and our air force does not have a decent airfield there. Even in Lhasa, there was only one gravel airfield with a rudimentary runway, which was impossible to take off and land large jet fighters. This disparity in airport conditions makes it difficult for the Chinese Air Force to make large-scale sorties and play a role in wartime.

However, the Chinese Air Force still has a "trump card", that is, at that time, China had the only strategic bomber force in Asia. Although the H-4 bombers are not numerous, they are enough to deal a devastating blow to the big cities in the heart of India. That's what Nehru feared most.

On the whole, the strength of the Chinese and Indian air forces in 1962 can be said to have their own advantages and disadvantages: The Indian Air Force is well-equipped and has many airfields, which is enough to pose a great threat to our military if it is dispatched on a large scale; while the Chinese Air Force, although it has a weak infrastructure in Tibet, has an advantage in the quality of its pilots and bombers, and if it launches a retaliatory strike against India, the consequences will be unimaginable. It was precisely this subtle balance of power that made Nehru never dare to rush into the air force in the war.

Our army counterattacked, the Indian lieutenant general wanted to send out the air force, and Nehru urgently telegraphed: So Kolkata will be bombed

After the war, the air forces of both sides declined

After the end of the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the balance of air forces between China and India underwent subtle but profound changes. The trauma and lessons of the war prompted both sides to carry out a series of reflections and adjustments after the war.

For defeated India, the reinforcement and modernization of its air force became a top priority. During the war, the Indian Air Force was underutilized, which sparked widespread discontent across the military. Many generals believed that if the air force had been dispatched in time, the war might not have been so disastrous.

To learn this lesson, the Indian government dramatically increased defense spending after the war and opened the door to arms purchases from Western countries. Britain and the United States naturally gladly agreed to this and extended a "helping hand" to India one after another.

In 1964, India introduced the Hunter fighter-bomber from Britain for ground attack. In the same year, the MiG-21 fighter was introduced from the Soviet Union, which had advanced performance and greatly enhanced the air supremacy combat capability of the Indian Air Force. In the following 10 years or so, India successively purchased from Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union a large number of advanced aircraft types, such as the "Jaguar" attack plane, the "Mirage" 2000 fighter, and the MiG-23/25/29 fighter, and the strength of the air force grew by leaps and bounds.

At the same time, India is also building military airfields on a large scale in border areas and deploying forward aviation forces. These airports are generally only a few dozen kilometers away from the Line of Actual Control between China and India, and the nearest one is even only a dozen kilometers, so that air superiority can be maximized in wartime.

In contrast, although the Chinese Air Force also developed to a certain extent after the war, it was far less developed than India due to the "Cultural Revolution" and the weak base of the defense industry. In the sixties and seventies, the Chinese Air Force was mainly based on medium-sized fighters such as the J-6 and J-7, and these aircraft were significantly behind the advanced models such as the MiG-21 and the "Mirage" 2000 equipped with the Indian army.

In Tibet, the Chinese Air Force's infrastructure construction is also relatively lagging behind. Due to the harsh geographical environment and the difficulty in building large airfields, the number of combat aircraft that our air force can station in this area is very limited. This has led to a significant air disadvantage for China in the Sino-Indian border area for quite some time.

This disparity in equipment strength once gave the Indian side a certain sense of superiority, believing that in the event of a new conflict in the future, it would be able to reverse the defeat of the year by relying on its absolute superiority in air power.

However, what Indians did not expect is that although China started late, its development momentum far exceeds that of India.

After entering the 80s, China's defense industrial system gradually matured and began to be able to develop and produce advanced weapons that were no less than those of the West. In 1988, the Chinese Air Force was equipped with the J-8II. fighter, a medium-sized multi-role fighter whose comprehensive performance was already close to the level of the MiG-23.

In the nineties, the Chinese Air Force achieved leapfrog development. First, a number of Russian-made Su-27 heavy fighters were introduced, and then a new generation of main fighters such as J-10 and J-11 were developed. These aircraft have completely surpassed the Indian Air Force in terms of performance and quantity.

At the same time, China's air force infrastructure in Tibet is also accelerating. At the end of the 90s, a number of large military airports, such as Qamdo and Nyingchi, were built one after another, and the Chinese Air Force began to transfer to Tibet on a large scale. This not only greatly increases the Air Force's presence and deterrence in the region, but also makes full preparations for possible local conflicts in the future.

In the 21 st century, with the rapid improvement of China's comprehensive national strength, the strength of China's air force has increased by leaps and bounds. A large number of advanced fighters such as J-10, J-11, and J-16 have been installed in large quantities, and their numbers and performance are so large that India is beyond their reach. The Air Force's combat radius has also extended from the Tibet region to the entire Sino-Indian border, and it is also capable of striking key targets in the Indian hinterland.

Today, the number of combat aircraft stationed by the Chinese Air Force in Tibet is said to have reached 100, which is enough to quickly seize air supremacy at a critical moment. In contrast, the Indian Air Force, although it also has three flying squadrons deployed in the border area, is completely unable to compete with the Chinese Air Force in terms of quantity and quality.

In a certain sense, the rise and fall of the air force of China and India reflects the decline of the comprehensive national strength of the two major countries. China, which was once inferior in military equipment because of its weak industrial base, has now possessed an independent research and development system for cutting-edge weapons after decades of hard work, and is fully capable of defending the country's territorial sovereignty with its own strength.

Although India started earlier, due to its limited economic strength and imperfect military industrial system, the development of military equipment has always been constrained by others, and it can only rely on the purchase of second-hand goods from abroad to maintain its air power. This model is destined to be unsustainable in the long run.

Today, in the face of the increasingly powerful Chinese Air Force, the Indian Air Force has completely lost its sense of superiority and is full of a sense of crisis. Once another conflict breaks out between China and India, I am afraid that what awaits the Indian Air Force will be an unprecedented disaster.