IAF airlifted over 68,000 soldiers to eastern Ladakh following Galwan Valley clashes in 2020

The IAF deployed its Su-30 MKI and Jaguar jets for round-the-clock surveillance and intelligence gathering on the enemy build-up, besides putting several squadrons of combat aircraft in "offensive posturing" following the clashes on June 15, 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades, they said.

The troops and weapons were ferried by the transport fleet of the IAF within a "very short period of time" for quick deployment in various inhospitable areas along the LAC under a special operation, the sources said while highlighting how the force's strategic airlift capability has increased over the years.

In view of the escalating tensions, the IAF had also deployed a sizeable number of remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) in the region to keep a hawk-eye vigil on Chinese activities, they said.