India Maintains Strategic Air Base in Central Asia

[lambu]

India is in talks with Tajikistan to set up a military hospital there even as it maintains an airbase in Ayni there, the country's only such facility overseas.

India has collaborated with Tajikistan to "reconstruct and recreate" the airbase which is strategically significant due to its location next to Afghanistan, government sources said here today.

While New Delhi maintains that reconstruction of the air base is part of the assistance programme to Tajikistan, the nature of such facilities is significant due to its presence in oil-rich Central Asia.

The facility also assumes significance in view of the presence major international players like the US, Russia and others in the region. There are two more air bases in the region which are manned by Americans and Russians.

Sources said the Russian government had also shown interest in using the facility but the air base was clinched by Defence Minister A K Antony during his visit to Tajikistan in October this year.

Antony had also made a technical halt at the base on way to Russia in October last year.

According to reports, India has spent USD 70 million to upgrade the base which was one of the major air hubs in the erstwhile USSR Central Command.

The abandoned Soviet air base is just 10km away from Dushanbe and was modernised by India as part of aid to Tajikistan in building its armed forces.

Sources said India is also discussing a proposal with Tajikistan to set up a military hospital there.

news.outlookindia.com | India Maintains Strategic Air Base in Central Asia

 

[KUSH JHA]

this air base is important after, withdrawal of US forces form Afganistan .
also it is located in the oil rich cental asia .
one base solving two purpose..

 

[p2prada]

I am not sure if we actually got the airbase in the first place.

Maybe a few years down the line we will know for sure. Hopefully sooner.

 

[agentperry]

base, no base, base, no base....when it comes to confusing enemy and its own subject. govt of India rocks.

 

[sayareakd]

deleted............................................

 

[Godless-Kafir]

That is not a base, it is an helicopter port. We only operate helicopters from there not fighter jets.

 

[sayareakd]

It is foreign country, we dont have bases in foreign country we have hospitals for goodwill in foreign countries.

 

[noob101]

This is significant for many reasons... India was one of a few nations that supported the Northern alliance before 9/11, almost all the supplies came form Tajikistan not to mention most fighters were ethnically Tajik... the famous Ahmed Shah Masood was Tajik. many Afghan Tajiks fled to Tajikistan during the 90's... Nice move by the MoD at the least it will anger Pakistan and increase our strategic position in the region

 

[Armand2REP]

Sounds good, Russian influence is eroding losing the air base in Kyrgyzstan and the radar station in Azerbaijan. Indian and French influence increases in Tajikistan.

 

[noob101]

Sounds good, Russian influence is eroding losing the air base in Kyrgyzstan and the radar station in Azerbaijan. Indian and French influence increases in Tajikistan.

I doubt that Russian influence will ever decrease in the central Asian countries

 

[p2prada]

Sounds good, Russian influence is eroding losing the air base in Kyrgyzstan and the radar station in Azerbaijan. Indian and French influence increases in Tajikistan.

The Russians pretty much run these countries through their oil business.

Anyway, if IAF is controlling the air base, then the Russian Motor Brigade is going to protect the base.

Yeah. They have a rather large force in Tajikistan. They also operate 6 Su-25s from Ayni.

 

[noob101]

The Russians pretty much run these countries through their oil business.

Anyway, if IAF is controlling the air base, then the Russian Motor Brigade is going to protect the base.

Yeah. They have a rather large force in Tajikistan. They also operate 6 Su-25s from Ayni.

agree completly, one has to keep in mind that the IAF airbase is being set up because we got the nod from the Russians, they could just as easily kick us out and use the base for themselves.... The reason why the Russians let India and the Americans have bases there is because they don't want the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, once NATO withdraws from Afghanistan the main support for the Afghan government will come from the central Asian countries

 

[Mad Indian]

@Armand

Hey since when did french influence increase in Tajikistan?????

This is just a starting step....For protecting our interests in the long run, we need more naval and air bases through out the Indian ocean region and the Asia pacific....

 

[sayareakd]

we maintain that base for reason.

 

[Armand2REP]

@Armand

Hey since when did french influence increase in Tajikistan?????

http://defenceforumindia.com/americas/29690-french-troops-remain-tajikistan-after-2014-a.html

This is just a starting step....For protecting our interests in the long run, we need more naval and air bases through out the Indian ocean region and the Asia pacific....

France has plenty of air and naval bases in the IOR and Asia Pacific...

 

[Armand2REP]

The Russians pretty much run these countries through their oil business.

Anyway, if IAF is controlling the air base, then the Russian Motor Brigade is going to protect the base.

Yeah. They have a rather large force in Tajikistan. They also operate 6 Su-25s from Ayni.

France pretty much runs that country through its reliance on automobile, optronics, helicopter and ship building industries.

 

[pmaitra]

France pretty much runs that country through its reliance on automobile, optronics, helicopter and ship building industries.

Automobile? You mean Renault pumping money into the LADA-Zhiuguli Factory? Do you know nobody gives a tuppence about Renault anywhere, including inside France?

When it comes to helicopters, yes, France has an edge, with turbines, but then that's it. Over the years russia has produced gems that will take France years to even bring it up to par. It does get credit for grooming the budding helicpter designers who studied in France and went on to establish major helicopter design bureaux in the USSR.

When it comes to ships, one desgin, just one design, the Mistral, does not equate Russian achievements in Naval Technology. I don't think France is half as capable of building something like the Akula, is it?

 

[ace009]

What does IAF keeps in the Tajik base? Any aircraft or just some personnel and a couple of recon UAVs?

 

[Kunal Biswas]

I heard IAF planed to keep MIG-29 there..

 

[p2prada]

France pretty much runs that country through its reliance on automobile, optronics, helicopter and ship building industries.

Your efforts are cute and lame at the same point. Best of luck heating your homes with wood if Russia ever decides to cut supplies.

You sell a few other equipment does not mean you control the country. Heck countries go to war over oil, not cars and helicopters.

What does IAF keeps in the Tajik base? Any aircraft or just some personnel and a couple of recon UAVs?

We don't really know what's happening. At first the media reports said we may place 6 Mig-29s there which can provide air support to Russian forces while we maintain a presence in the area.