IAF to have fighter base near Thanjavur

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon have a full-fledged fighter base near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. It will be utilised to keep an eye on the major sea-lanes of communication which carry over 60 per cent of the world trade, including oil, to energy starved countries in east Asia and India, said a senior official here. The move is part of the plans to maintain the southern components of the armed forces in fighting fit condition.
The IAF refers to south India as the “cradle of training” as most round-the-year fighter bases are located in the east, north and south. The base would also be useful in combating threats of terrorism from the sea. However, the official discounted the notion that it was being set up to take on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He said the IAF concurred with the observation of Chief of the Naval Staff Sureesh Mehta that the LTTE was an irritant and not a threat.