PM Narendra Modi plans significant moves to assert dominance in the Indian Ocean region
PTC News Desk: With the approval of runway extensions at Campbell Bay in the Great Nicobar Islands and Diglipur in the north Andamans, as well as the impending night landings at Port Blair airport, the Narendra Modi government is poised to make significant advancements in marine security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
It is believed that the Modi administration will soon approve the construction of a new runway at Minicoy Islands and the extension of the runway at Agatti Airport in Lakshadweep.
The runway at INS Kohassa in Diglipur will also be expanded to accommodate large aircraft, and both might be utilised as forward deployed air bases in an emergency. The runway at INS Baaz in Campbell Bay will be extended by an additional 4000 feet to accommodate large jets and fighters.
Adding to all of this, the Veer Savarkar airport in Port Blair will soon see the Indian military land an Airbus 321 at night to demonstrate night landing capabilities, opening the runway to commercial aircraft landings. The airport in Veer Savarkar can land at night.
The fact that six new radars will be positioned in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, together with other radars in the Lakshadweep Islands for improved maritime and air domain awareness, shows how serious the Modi government is about expanding its sea legs in the Indian Ocean Region.
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Apart from the high-power radar installation, Campbell facility's runway is being extended as part of a plan to establish a transshipment facility at Great Nicobar's Galathea Bay, just 150 kilometers from Indonesia's Banda Aceh. The Minicoy Islands are only 300 kilometers away from the Maldives, a nation that is fighting much above its weight against India in an attempt to win over additional Chinese funds.
Given that the Suez Canal and Persian Gulf serve as the primary sea lanes for communication, the A&N Islands and the Lakshadweep Islands are situated along these routes. India will have early warning of PLA Navy action in the IOR and the Pacific, as well as influence over all ingress routes to the South China Sea via the straits of Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok, should these suggestions soon become reality.
- With inputs from agencies
