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IAF on 'maximum alert': Tipnis

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis has said the Indian Air Force is in a state of 'maximum alert' considering the activity on the Pakistani side. He, however, did not expect any escalation due to the shooting down of a Pakistani aircraft.

''There has been fighter activity across the border and radar warnings and we are fully alert to meet any eventuality,'' he told a a group of visiting reporters at the Naliya airbase in Gujarat.

''They (Pakistanis) are very active ... Helicopters have also been operating in the area,'' he said.

''We are maintaining a state of alert as a precautionary measure,'' he added.

He said the IAF would get airborne warning and control systems in the near future for surveillance along the border. He said airborne radar platforms would greatly enhance the IAF's surveillance capability for overseeing increased Pakistani activity in the area.

He denied knowledge of any Pakistani build-up on the ground in the area. ''I am not aware of it,'' he said.

He also denied that the Atlantique incident reflected any aggressive posturing in the post-Kargil scenario. The intrusion by the aircraft was a hostile act which was dealt with by the IAF, he said.

UNI

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