According to Indian media reports such as India Today, as winter approaches, the Indian Army is conducting airborne exercises in the eastern part of the so-called "Ladakh" region to strengthen military deployment at high altitudes and test its rapid response capabilities.
Indian Army airborne exercises. Image source: Indian media
Indian media said that the exercise took place against the background of an 18-month-long military confrontation in the Sino-Indian border area. Although after 13 rounds of talks at the level of military commanders, the disengagement process between the two armies was completed at the site of friction, the final solution still did not achieve a breakthrough and did not fully achieve force downgrading.
Sources told Indian media that the exercise was carried out by the Independent 50th Paratrooper Brigade of the Indian Army. On November 1, the unit reached an airborne area of more than 14,000 feet above sea level by airlift and parachute.
Indian troops, who have adapted to the environment in advance, along with special vehicles and missile detachments, arrived at designated locations from 5 different bases via C-130 and An-32 transport aircraft to test the ability to maneuver across theaters, precise delivery, rapid marshalling, and quick and surprising capture of designated targets, the sources said.
An Indian Army official said that because the exercise was conducted at an ultra-high altitude area with temperatures as low as -20 °C and thin air, it was particularly challenging for Indian military personnel.
According to reports, the content of the exercise also includes an aerobic combat parachuting exercise and a comprehensive combat exercise of airborne troops, mechanized units, and helicopter gunships to verify combat capabilities and seamless integration capabilities.
India's Economic Times claimed that in view of the military confrontation between China and India, the Indian Army decided to conduct such a large-scale exercise to simulate the dispatch of troops from other theaters to border areas, which is of great significance.
The media also claimed that the exercise may be the largest demonstration of force by the Indian military in the eastern part of the so-called "Ladakh" region since the confrontation between the Chinese and Indian armies in May last year.
Senior Colonel Long Shaohua, spokesman for the Western Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, made a statement on the 13th round of Sino-Indian talks at the military commander level, pointing out that on October 10, the Chinese and Indian armies held the 13th round of military commander-level talks on the Chinese side of the Mordo/Chushule talks. During the talks, the Chinese side proceeded from the overall situation of safeguarding the relations between the two countries and the two armed forces, made great efforts to promote the relaxation and cooling of the border situation, and fully demonstrated its sincerity, but the Indian side still insisted on unreasonable and unrealistic demands, which added difficulties to the negotiations. China's determination and will to safeguard national sovereignty are unswerving, and I hope that the Indian side will not misjudge the situation, cherish the current hard-won situation in the China-India border area, abide by the relevant agreements and agreements and consensus between the two countries and two militaries, and earnestly show sincerity and action to work with the Chinese side to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area.