Latest satellite images suggest China has deployed its most advanced J-20 "Mighty Dragon" fifth-generation fighter jets with stealth capabilities along the Line of Actual Control near Sikkim, sources in the security establishment said on Thursday while raising questions on the real intentions behind such an ongoing border build-up.
Defence ministry officials declined to comment on the latest satellite imagery. They, however, said they were keeping "a close watch" on the Chinese army's brazen aggression and deployment over the past one-and-a-half years along the LAC in the eastern sector, especially the Tawang sector in Arunachal.
The latest imagery only bolsters the suspicion, expressed by military veterans for months, that Beijing intends to change the status quo in the eastern sector of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim the way it has done in eastern Ladakh, where it is said to have occupied close to 1,000sqkm of India-claimed territory since May 2020.
An Indian Army official, however, said the deployment of J-20 fighters was nothing new as China had earlier deployed these Mighty Dragons across all its five theatre commands including the western one which faces India.
“The deployment of J-20 by China has been a big concern for India considering the scarcity of enough fighter aircraft. To counter J-20 fighters we have our advanced French-built Rafale jets,” the official said.
The US’s F-35 and China’s J-20 are often compared because both have fifth-generation stealth technology. Experts have, however, given the Mighty Dragon an edge over the F-35 owing to its superior range, weapons capacity and speed. Besides, it can carry more ammunition than an F-35 on a single mission.
