China Counters India's Rafale With Stealth Jet Deployment Near Sikkim
NDTV
The presence of at least seven J-20s at Shigatse has major military implications for India.
New, high resolution satellite imagery available with NDTV show several J-20s, China's most advanced stealth fighter, landing at a key high-altitude Tibetan air base located less than 150 kilometres from the Sikkim border.
Shigatse airfield also lies less than 300 kilometres from the Indian Air Force's base in Hasimara in Bengal which hosts the IAF's second squadron of 16 Rafale fighter aircraft. These Rafales are tasked with defending the Himalayan frontier over Eastern India.
India presently operates two Rafale squadrons with 36 jets in total. China, it is believed, has already manufactured close to 250 J-20 stealth fighters. Till recently, the J-20 was primarily deployed on its Eastern frontier, defending the Pacific seaboard.
