Free Preview of Members-Only Content

India has almost completed establishing an airbase in Tajikistan aside from "some technical problems" preventing Indian forces from commencing operations there, Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony said Jan. 21. These problems probably have more to do with Russia than with technology.

An Indian air force base in Tajikistan is nearing completion despite “some technical problems,” Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony said Jan. 21. Antony declined to elaborate on the technical problems, but The Times of India wrote that the main outstanding issue is what kind of aircraft should be stationed at the airbase, citing official sources. In any case, the problems holding up Indian operations probably have less to do with technical matters and more to with Russia.

The base, a former Soviet installation now known as Ayni, is India’s first military outpost on foreign soil aside from a naval listening post in Madagascar. It is part of a Central Asian beachhead planned by the Indian military, one from which India’s presence in its near abroad can expand.

New Delhi reportedly has spent $1.77 million to refurbish the base’s 8,000-foot runway and taxiway, construct hangers and an air-traffic control tower, and make other arrangements in preparation for a significant military presence. At present, India maintains a token presence of some 150 personnel, but this was to be expanded to small squadrons of Mi-17 utility helicopters, trainer aircraft to help train Tajik pilots, and eventually even MiG-29 fighters. The project, which is 24 months behind schedule, encountered a major obstacle in the latter half of 2007 when the Kremlin began pressuring Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov to revoke Indian access to the base.