Navy intensifies muscle-flexing against Pakistan even as small arms fire continues across LoC

NEW DELHI: Navy has further intensified its muscle-flexing against Pakistan by issuing another warning for ships to stay away from specified coordinates in the northern Arabian Sea due to its firing drills, as the exchange of small arms fire continues unabated between the rival armies along the Line of Control in J&K.
The "NavArea' warning for the specified zone off Gujarat till May 3, incidentally, is just around 80-85 nautical miles from where the Pakistan Navy is undertaking its own drills in the Arabian Sea. "We have made it clear that if any warship or ship enters that zone, she will do so at its own peril," an officer said.
Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi took stock of his force's operational readiness during a visit to the Western Navy Command in Mumbai Thursday. The review came even as Navy has deployed several warships in the Arabian Sea, which conducted multiple firings of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and other weapon systems last week.

China, which has the world's largest Navy with over 370 warships and submarines, is assiduously helping Pakistan build a strong maritime force. Pakistan has already inducted four latest Type 054A/P multi-role frigates and other platforms from China. It's slated to soon get eight Yuan-class diesel-electric submarines, with air-independent propulsion, in a major capability jump for India's western adversary.
Amid the heightened tensions with Pakistan, IAF is undertaking long-range day and night fighter sorties, while also keeping its air defence network with a variety of surface-to-air missile systems in full alert mode.
While IAF has increased the number of ORPs (operational readiness platforms) at its air bases, especially in the western sector, the force is also slated to practice operations of supersonic fighter jets like Rafales, Jaguars and Mirage-2000s, transport aircraft and helicopters on an emergency landing facility (ELF) on the Ganga Expressway in UP on Friday.
This will be the fourth such ELT on expressways in UP, and the first to support day and night landings. Such ELT airstrips being established in different parts of the country, with reinforced cement concrete construction on national highways or expressways, can provide operational flexibility during conflicts.
If an adversary bombs air bases, for instance, such ELTs can be used for unhindered air operations using mobile air traffic and radar control, refueling and armament-loading facilities, say officers. Pakistan and several other countries like Germany, Sweden, South Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Switzerland, Poland and Singapore also have dedicated stretches on their highways and expressways for aircraft to land and take off in emergencies or war-like events.
The ceasefire along the 778-km LoC and 198-km international boundary in J&K has frayed since the Pahalgam attack, with Army Thursday saying Pakistan army posts had opened unprovoked small arms fire across LoC in Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor sectors.