1.The buildup of the 9th December at #ThangLa started around last week of November 2022 when the frequency of face-offs in the sector spiked suddenly.
Battalion Commanders alarmed by the sudden increase in sightings of #PLA patrols in their AOR quietly reinforced their flanks.
2. Alert troops at posts overlooking known PLA ingress positions with HHTI (Hand Held Thermal Imagers) reported large body of PLA troops forming up using the fog as cover.
SITREP at 6am on 9th December 2022 was sent to Brigade HQ and QRTs placed strategically were mobilized.
3. The PLA which had conducted a detailed headcount of the number of troops at Thang La was confident that they would be able to overwhelm the the 50 odd troops with a 6:1 superiority.Unknown to them IA QRTs which had moved in from the rear echelons were already in position.
4. As the battalion sized force of the PLA attempted to surround Thang La , the IA troops at Thang La formed a human chain around the post to deter the large PLA.A lot of cursing , pushing ensued with soldiers from both sides grappling bulky winter clothing.
5. Taking advantage of the chaos PLA troops at the rear armed with tasers , spiked clubs & monkey gloves moved towards the front to surprise the IA troops.All of this was being quietly observed by the IA Command Post which quickly radioed multiple QRTs to reinforce Thang La.
6. The successive chain of events is described here :
1. Mago marks the southern entrance of the valley and Chuna the northern end of it bordering the LAC.Steep mountainous terrain which needs hours of trekking to reach posts #TawangClash
2. Peak XXX sits to the west of this area and has commanding view of the ridges and tracks across the LAC deep into Cona County.The PLA sent in roughly 300 troops with melee weapons with a clear intention to kill/miam the IA troops holding the area.
3. Closely placed echelons on the lower ridges and the river valley were quickly able to reinforce the 50 troops firmly facing the PLA onslaught and reinforcements poured in from multiple directions immediately after being radioed.
Thoughts on @indiannavy's Carrier Based Fighter Trials :
1. The Rafale-M and F-18 SH are optimized for CATOBAR operations and fielding them on a STOBAR carrier will come with performance penalties.
2. The optimal fit for a budget constrained navy is a combination of Light Carrier + STOVL Aircraft.However @indiannavy's carrier quest is a 'chicken or the egg' riddle.
Call recording of Hafiz Farooq Ahmed Khan(Lecturer at PAF College Lower Topa)
&
Sqn Ldr Hassan Mehmood Siddiqui (PAF) after an aerial engagement between IAF and PAF on 27th Feb 2019 soundcloud.app.goo.gl/8ijSy
The @IAF_MCC needs to gear up for Large Force Engagements (LFE) in intense EW environments.This might entail jammed comms, data-links, sat-nav and FCRs (no firing solution)
All of this amidst a series of RWR warnings as Enemy SAMs paint you red over hostile airspace.
IAF will need to quickly bridge the tech gap between the plethora of aircraft in its inventory so that any LFE mission has measurable success against enemy targets despite attrition.A downed Rafale should not result in a scrubbed mission.
LFEs rely heavily on support elements (AWACS/AEW and Refuellers).Taking into account war time attrition and high down times of the IL-78 Midas , atleast half a dozen A330 MRTTs are the need of the hour. So are more Netra/Phalcons.
A quick read on Taliban 2.0 and the fall of Kabul :
1.The change of regime was engineered by the US in full public gkare including promises of a transition and interim government
2.The ISI did not subscribe to the idea but asked the Talibs to play along regardless
3.The old guard (Northern Alliance) Amarullah Saleh , Ata Muhammad Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum were sidelined by Ghani on the directions of Zalmay Khalilzad
4.The fissures in the government were visible in the public posturing of the old guard which smelt a rat from the outset
5. As fighting erupted in Faryab and Herat, ANA and ANDSF fought back ferociously and managed to reverse initial losses
6. A message went went out from the Presidential Palace asking the ANA/ANDSF to stand down as a power sharing agreement was being worked out.