M A I N   N E W S

India begins equipping new mountain strike corps
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 29
India has started equipping the newly raised specialised mountain strike corps aimed at countering China. A set of six specialised aircraft aiding operations in mountains have been ordered from the US while the case of acquiring specialized attack helicopters and heavy lift copters have moved ahead in the Ministry of Defence.

Orders have also been issued to draw troops from existing units to raise the corps and replenish the original regiments with new recruits over the next few years. The appointment of the first Commander of the Corps - a Lieutenant General-rank official - is in its final phase of administrative process. The CCS had cleared the corps on July 17 allocating Rs 64,000 crore to be spent over the next six-seven years. The 17 Strike Corps will be based at Panagarh in West Bengal. It will have two divisions, one located near Panagarh in West Bengal and the other in the foothills of Himlayas at Pathankot in Punjab. Both locations are near important ingress routes. A division will have around 20,000 men.

As a first step, New Delhi has ordered six more C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft from the US under a $1.1 billion (around Rs 6,000 crore) deal.

These will be delivered within three years and will be based at Panagarh. The IAF has a fleet of six such planes based at Hindon - located 20 km east of New Delhi. The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the PM had cleared the purchase on December 20. The “letter of offer and acceptance” was cleared under the US government’s “foreign military sales” (FMS) route on Friday.

The plane has the ability for special air operations and transport of material and supplies.