China-India border dispute: advanced fighter jets sent to nearby airbases

Two J-20s seen at Hotan airbase in China’s Xinjiang region, while India has deployed five new Rafales to Ladakh, according to media reports

As tensions remain high, the two neighbours are seeking to gain the advantage on the roof of the world

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China’s J-20 stealth fighters can fly at an altitude of more than 20,000 metres – an important factor in the Himalayas. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:34pm, 19 Aug 2020Updated: 11:03pm, 19 Aug 2020

China and India have reportedly sent their most advanced fighter jets to airbases near their disputed border region in the Himalayas, where a stand-off continues.

According to a Forbes report on Monday that cited commercial satellite imagery, two Chinese J-20 stealth fighters have appeared at the Hotan airbase in the far western Xinjiang region.

The airbase is China’s closest – about 320km (200 miles) – to the disputed Aksai Chin region.

Tensions have remained high in the area since June, when Chinese and Indian troops had their worst border clash in decades in the nearby Galwan Valley between Aksai Chin and Ladakh.

India has meanwhile deployed five new Dassault Rafale fighter jets to Ladakh, the Hindustan Times reported last week. It said the Rafale fighter jets had been practising night flying in the mountainous terrain of Himachal Pradesh.

The Indian Air Force ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets in a US$9.4 billion deal signed with France in 2016. Photo: AFP/Dassault Aviation/V. Almansa

As the two neighbours seek to gain the advantage on the roof of the world, China has the upper hand when it comes to the fighter jets, according to military experts. They say China’s single-seat J-20 could gain air supremacy because of its stealth – it can evade radar detection and reach supersonic speeds.