High levels of preparation under way on land, sea and air: General Rawat

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Monday said that “high levels of preparation are underway on land, sea and air” as “China attempts to change the status quo on Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the northern border”.

The CDS was speaking at the launch of the first Project 17A stealth frigate ‘Himgiri’, an addition to the might of the Indian Navy, built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), in Kolkata.

The PSU was awarded a contract, amounting to over Rs 19,293 crore, for construction of three stealth frigates under Project 17A.

General Rawat said the Indian armed forces will leave no stone unturned to safeguard the nation against any eventuality and Himgiri will be a major boost to naval prowess.

“We are in a standoff situation in Ladakh and based on that there is some development activity which has been ongoing in Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Every nation will continue to prepare for ensuring its security based on their strategic interest. I wish to assure you that we are fully prepared for any eventuality,” he said.

“P17A ships will be the most advanced state-of-the-art Guided Missile Frigates, 149-m-long, with a displacement of approximately 6670 T and having an advanced CODOG propulsion system enabling speed of over 28 knots. These complex weapon platforms are equipped with a powerful weapon and sensor package capable of neutralising threats in all three dimensions, air, surface and subsurface,” read a statement by GRSE.