IAF Rafales In Hasimara
In ‘Eastern Front Airpower’, Season 2, ‘Season Finale’, we document the Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafales in Hasimara in West Bengal. Air Force Station Hasimara is a crucial base for the Indian Air Force, due to its strategic location near the sensitive borders with Bhutan, China occupied Tibet and Bangladesh. It is also close to the critical Siliguri Corridor. Often called the “Chicken’s Neck,” it is a narrow strip of land in West Bengal connecting the country’s northeastern states to the rest of the country. This geographical bottleneck, only about 22 kilometres at its narrowest, holds immense strategic significance for several reasons.
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Editor’s Note: This documentary hit 100,000+ Views on January 3, 2025.
StratNews Global Ground Report
A StratNews Global team of Amitabh P. Revi, Rohit Pandita and Aryaman Singh Negi along with Motion Graphics Producer Deepankar Verma brings you this ground report. We highlight the importance of this region for India’s national security in a deep dive into the Eastern Air Command’s (EAC) area of responsibility.
Eastern Air Command
We film Rafale operations from Hasimara and speak to key officers including the then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOCinC), the current Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal S.P. Dharkar. The former AOCinC, EAC, Air Marshal D.K. Patnaik (Retd) explains key regional developments and their implications for a potential China-Pakistan-Bangladesh nexus.
Eastern Front Airpower
In Eastern Front AirPower, Season 2, Part 1, we spoke to Air Marshal S.P. Dharkar, the then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), EAC. On October 3, 2024, he took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Force. In Episode 2, we had a conversation with Group Captain Abhishek Tripathi, Commanding Officer (CO) of the 101 Squadron (Sqn) at the Hasimara AFS. In Episode 3, we interviewed Air Commodore Ashish Kumar, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) AFS Hasimara. You can also click here to watch Season 1. Episode 2 from the Tezpur AFS in Season 1 has over one million views.
Road Axes To Tawang
In the ‘Season Finale’, we also travel on two crucial road axes to Tawang. The journey takes us through two game-changing tunnels- Nechipu and Sela. We document the changes since we last traveled there in 2023. Both routes now offer reliable and all-weather access to Tawang. This improved connectivity facilitates faster troop movement, logistical support, and enhances overall military preparedness in the region. The roads also boost socioeconomic development by improving connectivity for local communities and promoting tourism. The Border Roads Organisation has also built connecting arterial roads that are crucial for both civilian and military use.
