With an aim to check the combat readiness of its aircraft, the Indian Air Force will beginning Thursday carry out a two-day consolidated training exercise in the Northeast, officials said.

The exercise is taking place at a time when a face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh took place on December 9 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) preceded by attempts to violate air space on many occasions. “Indian Air Force is scheduled to carry out a consolidated training exercise this week in the eastern sector where the readiness of the aircraft would be checked. The training exercise has been planned much in advance,” the sources said.

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“In the last few weeks, there have been two to three occasions where our fighter jets had to be scrambled to tackle the Chinese drones moving towards our positions on the LAC. The Su-30MKI jets had to be scrambled to tackle the air violation threat,” sources said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament said that attempts by Chinese troops to transgress the LAC in the Yangtse area of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo were contested by Indian troops in a firm and resolute manner. “The Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” the minister said.

Defence sources told ANI that before the clash in the Yangtse area that Chinese drones had moved very aggressively towards the Indian positions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh forcing the Indian Air Force to scramble its Su-30MKI fighter jets aircraft in the region.

On December 13, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo but they went back to their locations due to timely intervention of Indian military commanders.

Giving a statement in the Rajya Sabha, the Defence Minister assured the Upper House that “our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it”.