India has the largest, most experienced mountain army in the world, says Chinese military expert.
Huang Guozhi, senior editor of Modern Weaponry magazine, has said that the world's largest and experienced country with plateau and mountain troops is neither US nor Russia but India. The magazine and defence journal, is affiliated to the state-owned China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO), which describes itself as "the main platform responsible for developing mechanised, digitised and intellectualised equipment for PLA". It's one of the world's largest defence contractors and is also closely involved in President Xi Jinping's legacy project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
India has the world's largest and most experienced troops trained for high-altitude battles, a military expert affiliated to China's leading maker of equipment for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has said, adding that mountaineering is an "essential skill" for each Indian soldier deployed on the mountains.
The write-up comes in the backdrop of a stand-off between Indian and Chinese border troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the mountainous Ladakh region. It began last month and was the topic of talks between military commanders last weekend.
Huang's article published in thepaper.cn is a rare critique of an Indian Army wing in Chinese media, which usually takes the more nationalistic tone of brandishing its own capabilities along the border with India.
Huang's take was nuanced.
"Mountaineering is an essential skill for almost every member of the Indian mountain army. To this end, India even recruited a large number of professional mountaineers from the private sector", Huang wrote.
"With more than 2,00,000 troops in 12 divisions, the Indian mountain force is the largest mountain fighting force in the world", Huang wrote.
He said that since the 1970s, the Indian military has established and expanded the size and personnel of the mountain army on a large-scale and also plans to create a mountain strike force of more than 50,000 troops.
Giving the example of the Siachen Glacier, , Huang wrote : "The Indian army has set up hundreds of outposts in the Siachen Glacier area with an altitude of more than 5,000 mts, with 6,000 to 7,000 fighters stationed. The highest post has reached 6,749 metres".
Huang didn't mention the source of the information but went on to give a list of weaponry that the Indian army has deployed in the mountains suitable to high-altitude battles.
"In terms of equipment, the Indian military, through procurement from abroad and domestic research and development, has equipped a large number of main battle weapons adapted to the combat environment of the plateau and mountains".
"The Indian military has also spent heavily on advanced heavy equipment from the US including the M777, the world's lightest 155 mm-towed howitzer and the Chinook heavy transport helicopter that lifts the gun, to boost its fire support and anti-armour capabilities".
Huang also mentioned the high-calibre sniper rifles that Indian soldiers deployed at high-altitudes are now equipped with.
The author also listed shortcomings of the Indian army mountain troops including lack of self-sufficiency in weaponry and ammunition especially needed for western weaponry.
"In addition, there are many conflicts and differences between the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. This has also led the Indian Army to decide to equip its own US-made AH-64E Longbow Apache attack helicopters instead of relying entirely on airfield support from the air force", Huang wrote.
Incidentally, India and the US signed an estimated $800 million contract in February this year, in New Delhi for the delivery of six Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters to the Indian Army'Aviation Corps (AAC).
Tailpiece.
Got up on the dot, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The third of Lekha's spectacles had to be fetched from the clinic nearby and copies of the 'house tax exemption forms' had to be made. On return, gave a form to my neighbour and fixed up for our date with the panchayat tomorrow.
Roy had come with the rewound motor which he'd to take back to the shop floor to remove a glitch, was finally reinstalled and run to my satisfaction. Phew! But I must say that the motor never gave us any problems during the lock down! If it had happened, things would have been tough!!
Huang Guozhi, senior editor of Modern Weaponry magazine, has said that the world's largest and experienced country with plateau and mountain troops is neither US nor Russia but India. The magazine and defence journal, is affiliated to the state-owned China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO), which describes itself as "the main platform responsible for developing mechanised, digitised and intellectualised equipment for PLA". It's one of the world's largest defence contractors and is also closely involved in President Xi Jinping's legacy project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
India has the world's largest and most experienced troops trained for high-altitude battles, a military expert affiliated to China's leading maker of equipment for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has said, adding that mountaineering is an "essential skill" for each Indian soldier deployed on the mountains.
The write-up comes in the backdrop of a stand-off between Indian and Chinese border troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the mountainous Ladakh region. It began last month and was the topic of talks between military commanders last weekend.
Huang's article published in thepaper.cn is a rare critique of an Indian Army wing in Chinese media, which usually takes the more nationalistic tone of brandishing its own capabilities along the border with India.
Huang's take was nuanced.
"Mountaineering is an essential skill for almost every member of the Indian mountain army. To this end, India even recruited a large number of professional mountaineers from the private sector", Huang wrote.
"With more than 2,00,000 troops in 12 divisions, the Indian mountain force is the largest mountain fighting force in the world", Huang wrote.
He said that since the 1970s, the Indian military has established and expanded the size and personnel of the mountain army on a large-scale and also plans to create a mountain strike force of more than 50,000 troops.
Giving the example of the Siachen Glacier, , Huang wrote : "The Indian army has set up hundreds of outposts in the Siachen Glacier area with an altitude of more than 5,000 mts, with 6,000 to 7,000 fighters stationed. The highest post has reached 6,749 metres".
Huang didn't mention the source of the information but went on to give a list of weaponry that the Indian army has deployed in the mountains suitable to high-altitude battles.
"In terms of equipment, the Indian military, through procurement from abroad and domestic research and development, has equipped a large number of main battle weapons adapted to the combat environment of the plateau and mountains".
"The Indian military has also spent heavily on advanced heavy equipment from the US including the M777, the world's lightest 155 mm-towed howitzer and the Chinook heavy transport helicopter that lifts the gun, to boost its fire support and anti-armour capabilities".
Huang also mentioned the high-calibre sniper rifles that Indian soldiers deployed at high-altitudes are now equipped with.
The author also listed shortcomings of the Indian army mountain troops including lack of self-sufficiency in weaponry and ammunition especially needed for western weaponry.
"In addition, there are many conflicts and differences between the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. This has also led the Indian Army to decide to equip its own US-made AH-64E Longbow Apache attack helicopters instead of relying entirely on airfield support from the air force", Huang wrote.
Incidentally, India and the US signed an estimated $800 million contract in February this year, in New Delhi for the delivery of six Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters to the Indian Army'Aviation Corps (AAC).
Tailpiece.
Got up on the dot, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The third of Lekha's spectacles had to be fetched from the clinic nearby and copies of the 'house tax exemption forms' had to be made. On return, gave a form to my neighbour and fixed up for our date with the panchayat tomorrow.
Roy had come with the rewound motor which he'd to take back to the shop floor to remove a glitch, was finally reinstalled and run to my satisfaction. Phew! But I must say that the motor never gave us any problems during the lock down! If it had happened, things would have been tough!!
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