Aircraft being used at full capacity: junta chief

Nay Pyi Taw, 17 December

Soldiers used the full capacity of the aircraft and fought at the risk of their lives to win the battle in the operations in Northern Shan State in October and other areas, said junta chief.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing made this remark at a ceremony to commission new aircraft into service on December 15 at the Air Force Base in Nay Pyi Taw to mark the 76^th anniversary of the foundation of the Air Force.

He added that the air force will use two fourth-generation Su-30 SME fighter jets, which will boost morale among all air force personnel and help improve the army’s combat capability.

CDM Sergeant from Air Force Zeya said, “The military leader’s statement is deceiving the privates and a handful of army supporters. The army is in a position where it has no combat capability at all. If the air force collapses, the entire army is going to collapse.”

The two Su-30 SME fighter jets arrived as part of the first batch of six aircraft agreed to be traded between Russia and the Military Council in September 2022, as confirmed by Dr. Charlie Than, the Minister of Industry, in September.

Sergeant Zeya explained that the fighter jet can fly anywhere in Myanmar from Nay Pyi Taw and drop hundreds of bombs, and it can be used in many ways, from the air to the ground.

The military leader said, “According to the modern wars of today, air and space power are very important for winning the war, and air superiority can dominate and control the enemy, and the morale and fighting ability of your troops will improve.”

In the nearly three years since the coup, the junta army has gradually weakened on the ground and has become heavily reliant on air support.

According to the Myanmar Peace Monitoring Organization’s air attack report, aerial bombing occurred in all areas except Yangon and Ayeyarwaddy.

There were 588 days of airstrikes in 12 regions and states between February 2021 and November 7, 2023, with Sagaing having the most.

According to the report, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) are the first target of the military council’s aerial bombardment, followed by civilians and regional PDFs.

The international community has condemned the military’s bombardment of the Mong Lai Khet IDP camp near Laiza, Pazigyi village, and Latyetkon school in Sagaing Region, which killed dozens of people, as war crimes against humanity.

Around 1,000 military airstrikes have killed at least 281 people in more than two years since the military coup, according to a September report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

News-Than Lwin Times

Photo-MOI