Manoj K DasFirst Published : 12 Dec 2008 03:55:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 12 Dec 2008 12:35:29 PM ISTKOCHI: India has deployed naval ships and put fighters on standby across the country as it waits for definitive Pakistani action to bring the terror brains to book.


Top sources told to this website's newspaper that the Indian Air Force had fully armed its strike fighters as well as interceptor combat aircraft. The fighters are in scrambleready mode with pilots on standby in operation rooms. The state of readiness, referred to as Passive Air Defence in operational jargon, is the highest that the force has seen since Operation Parakram. The next phase — and the penultimate before a strike is ordered — will be the Active Air Defence.

While all squadrons along the western border are maintaining a high alert, Air Force assets in Bangalore and Chennai have also been put in flight-ready mode.

“The fighters are fully armed with various types of attack missiles. The southern stations will play an interceptive role in case of any intrusion from the Pakistani side,” sources said.

The Air Force is not allowing its personnel to avail leave. Leave granted to personnel handling crucial operations has been cancelled. Top sources also told Express that several batteries of surfaceto- air missiles have been moved to forward areas from the Gwalior base.

“They are not offensive weapons. The deployment is part of a standard drill aimed at insulating air stations that are in operational readiness,” sources said.

In a related development, the Indian Navy has deployed 18 ships capable of playing combat roles in the western theatre.

Though the deployment is under the guise of a stricter scrutiny of vessel movement, sources said the strength is far greater than that needed for such an operation. “Eighteen ships in an area can be effectively used to slap a sea-denial on Pakistan in case of any escalation of the situation. During the height of the Kargil war, the Navy adopted the same strategy to transmit a clear message. It is a repeat, minus the Army movement, of operation Parakram,” sources said.

Operation Parakram, launched immediately after the Parliament attack, saw massive troop mobilisation from all over the country on the western border. The tension prevailed for a couple of months before it fizzled out due to American pressure. But this time there is not much mobilisation of ground forces as the bid is to project power through sophisticated weaponry like BrahMos rather than rev up battalions along the border.


India to test Layered Missile Defence
India is all set to test layered missile defence in 12th December 2008. This test will involve 2 Ballastic Missile interceptors intercepting a single modified Prithvi Missile. The first interception will take place at an distance of 80 km altitude. The second interception will take place at the distance of 30 kms altitude. The 80 Km or exo-atmospheric intercepter is expected to hit the incoming missile and the 30 Km or the endo-atmospheric interceptor will try to destroy the largest surviving debris.

Indian has so far tested exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interceptors in stand alone modes.

On 6th December 2007 DRDO carried out the 2nd launch of a Single Stage Interceptor Missile against an incoming ballistic missile target of enemy represented by a modified Prithivi Missile. The Endo-Atmospheric Interceptor (AAD) intercepted a modified Prithvi Missileat 15 km altitude. On 27 Nov 2006, exo atmospheric test, Prithvi Air Defence Exercise (PADE), intercepted a modified Prithvi-II Missile at an altitude of 50 km.