Indian Army gets high speed boats to counter Chinese in Pangong Tso

New Delhi, November 21, 2011: Apart from the much reported land and aerial incursions by the Chinese, incursions along water bodies like 135 km long Pangong Tso, which is nestled between Indo-China border at an altitude of 14,500 feet, are another area of concern for the Indian security forces. With an aim to match Chinese prowess in the water ways, the Indian Army is getting new sleek high speed patrol boats from the US.

The first batch of the 17 boats procured by the Indian Army will join the fleet next month. The lake has one third of its area in India and another 2/3^rd in China. It became a flashpoint in 1999 when Beijing built a 5-km permanent track into Indian Territory along the lake as its armed forces were busy fighting Pakistani insurgents along the icy-heights of Kargil.

“The new boats for patrolling Pangong Tso will be 37 feet long and 10 feet wide. They will be able to sail at a speed of 40 knots. The seats will be shock proof,” an army official said.

Presently, the Indian Army is operating close to a dozen vintage boats in the Pangong Tso, but they are no match to the Chinese patrolling boats.

“These new boats with the Indian Army will have inbuilt GPS system and Infrared systems for night vision.

A secret note to the Ministry of External Affairs had revealed that on August 22 this year, four Chinese boats carrying People Liberation Army’s personnel entered 5.5 km deep into the Indian Territory in the Pangong Tso. Many a times the Indian troops patrolling the salt water lake have been chased away by mightier and better equipped Chinese counterparts. 

China has a stronger military presence on the lake. The Chinese Navy operates close to 22 armed patrol boats in the lake — mostly smaller vessels with high speed and capacity for five to seven soldiers.