Chimera

“Yes sir. The two Chinese AWACS are now operating in an integrated air-defense mode with the S-300 batteries. They are networking with the ground based radars to form a nice large picture of the airspace south of the Aksai Chin. If we approach, they will know about it,” the Group-Captain said before walking away from the large digital map on the wall.

“What about their strike-fighters? What was it? The 33RD Fighter Division?” Air-Marshal Bhosale asked.

“Their 6TH Fighter Division Su-27 force,” the Group-Captain corrected his boss before continuing. “… deployed between Kashgar, Urumqi and Korla airbases was mauled severely. We estimate they now have around ten surviving Su-27s still operational at Urumqi. But the boys at the DIA expect movement of Flanker-centered Fighter Divisions from central China to replace the losses they took yesterday. The intelligence boys are already noticing increased deployment related activities around airbases occupied by the 19TH Fighter Division.”

“Another Flanker dominated unit,” Bhosale added and then thought about that…

They will keep adding these forces to replace their losses for now. But they only have so many airbases in the region. Each such fighter unit must therefore be committed piecemeal.

Perhaps the advantage lay there?

If so, that gives us the day today to pull off whatever we have planned before this vicious cycle starts off again…

“All right. What about the Pakistanis?” Bhosale asked as he pulled himself out of his thoughts. The Group-Captain walked back towards the wall map of Kashmir.

“Well, they had four of their F-16s deployed throughout the time our boys were locking horns with the Chinese Su-27 drivers. They still have at least two of their birds up in the air at any given time.”

And there was not a damn thing we can do about it unless we start taking out their airbases in the Skardu sector…

Bhosale thought as he leaned back in his chair, and then corrected himself:

Well, maybe we might just do that too, if it comes down to that!

The IAF had been forced to temporarily postpone their planned takedown of the Chinese S-300 defensive belt around Aksai Chin when the Chinese aircraft had hit the skies around Leh and gotten embroiled in a vicious dogfight with the No. 28 Squadron Mig-29s and No. 17 Squadron Su-30s. It was as complicated a battle situation as the IAF had faced in its entire history. But far worse battles were to come.

There was every indication that the Chinese might try again just as soon as they replaced the decimated Su-27/J-11 units with fresh ones from central China. But for now Bhosale realized that they had pushed the PLAAF temporarily out of the skies over Ladakh…

And that left the skies clear for Indian missions designed to take down enemy air-defenses on the ground via SEAD missions

For all the Chinese losses in the past twenty four hours, there was no denying the fact that their S-300 systems were achieving a very critical objective: keeping the IAF away from hindering the hundreds of convoys moving from Sinkiang into Tibet and from the Aksai Chin towards the LAC. And piecemeal attacks against the Chinese defenses were not working. They had clearly deployed backup equipment to replace losses. As a result of all this, three Squadrons of Jaguar strike fighters were being forced fly close-air-support sorties for now until this threat was removed.

Bhosale put his hands behind his head and leaned further into his leather chair, lost in thought.

The Chinese commander who set this up is no fool. I am clearly dealing with a smart son of a bitch here! But smart or not, we have to find a way to dismantle that integrated air-defense system in the Aksai Chin and start taking on enemy armor…

How?

EAST OF DAULAT BEG OLDI

LADAKH

DAY 2 + 0730 HRS

“Six kilometers and closing!”

A soldier with an IMFS shouted over his comms to the field HQ. Adesara heart the radio chatter inside the bunker while he pored over the maps on the wall.