Army ‘Well-Poised To Hold The Line' Against China In Arunachal

En Route To Bum La (Tawang): The big guns are ready to boom if required in this high-altitude region. Ahead of the artillery and air defence gun positions, companies of acclimatised and well-armed soldiers guard the forbidding terrain along the frontier, where temperatures have already dipped to minus 3 to 5 degree Celsius.

- [e-mail]

Tawang is one of the most heavily defended regions along the 3,488-km LAC with China, which claims it as ‘South Tibet’ and could well be its next target after eastern Ladakh if things go south along the border. Senior officers say the Army is “well-poised to hold the line” with “a very high density of troops”, a robust surveillance mechanism and high-volume firepower ranging from the old but reliable 105mm field guns and 155mm Bofors to the spanking new M-777 ultra-light howitzers. The first regiment of the upgraded version of L-70 air defence guns of the 1960s vintage, backed by Flycatcher radars, have been deployed in Tawang forward locations.

Besides Bofors & M-777 howitzers with 30-35km long range, the Army has also deployed upgraded L-70 air defence guns with 3.5km range to counter threats from combat UAVs, drones and attack helicopters

At Tawang, a glimpse of China border infra