Deesa airbase: Indian Air Force war fighting arm

28/10/2022

Table of Contents

Deesa airbase: Indian Air Force war fighting arm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for a new air base at Deesa in north Gujarat’s Banaskantha district near the India-Pakistan border. During the 12th edition of DefExpo (Defence Expo) which was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, PM has laid the foundation stone of Deesa airbase to bolster the defence of India’s airspace as it will reduce the long pending strategic gap of about 350 kilometers between the Air Force station in Bhuj and Rajasthan’s Uttarlai village.

Significance about Deesa airbase:

Deesa airbase is emerging as an effective centre for the nation’s security.
Indian forces especially Indian Air Force will be able to respond in a much better way to any challenge on the western border as the international border is just 130 kilometres away.
The Deesa air base will plug the air defence gap between Gujarat’s Bhuj Airforce station and Phalodi air base of Rajasthan.
A key feature of the Deesa airbase is the capacity of the Indian Airforce to backing retaliatory strikes against Pakistan if the situation demands it.

Deesa Airbase: Firewall of India:

The Deesa air base is very important from a strategic point of view as it will act as a firewall between enemy aircraft taking off from Pakistan’s Mirpur Khas, Shahbaz, Hyderabad, and its F-16 airbase in Jacobabad.
The industrial complex in Gujarat which is worth more than a trillion-dollar, will add to Bhavnagar and Vadodara air base in Gujarat.
It is a potential target for Pakistan, as it could hit India economically in a worst-case scenario.
Deesa is a forward airbase due to its placement to the Indo-Pak border. This would entail that the Indian Airforce would not deploy the newly acquired Rafale or the frontline fighter Su-30MKI on this airfield.
The airbase will be powered to avert major terror strikes in Gujarat or along the southwestern sector apart from giving support to any land offensive by Pakistan in future.
The Deesa airbase is anticipated to be operational by 2024.