SAC Deploys ~10 Fighter Jets in Major Assault on Falam — Sustained Combat at Sur Bun Airfield and Var Bridge (Chin State)

On April 23, 2026, Myanmar's military launched a major combined air-and-ground offensive in Falam Township, Chin State, deploying approximately ten fighter jets to strike resistance positions near the Sur Bun airfield and the Var Bridge. Sustained ground fighting followed the airstrikes. The previous day (April 22), Chin resistance forces had conducted a drone attack on junta positions — killing 2 SAC soldiers and injuring 5 — apparently triggering the massive April 23 air response. The deployment of approximately 10 fighter jets in a single Chin State operation is an exceptional concentration of air power: the SAC typically deploys 2-3 aircraft per strike mission, making a 10-jet operation a significant military commitment reflecting the seriousness of the threat the junta perceives from resistance forces near strategic Chin State infrastructure. Falam is the largest town in northwestern Chin State, approximately 140 kilometers north of Hakha (the Chin State capital, where resistance forces effectively govern). The Sur Bun airfield provides limited logistical support to SAC garrisons in northwestern Chin — its defense is critical to maintaining the junta's tenuous presence in this heavily resistant region bordering India and Bangladesh. The Var Bridge controls key road access in the area. The scale of the Falam assault reflects the SAC's pattern of massive air escalation in response to successful resistance drone strikes — a pattern observed in Hpakant (KIA drone attack April 11 triggered immediate SAC jet retaliation on civilian areas) and across Sagaing Region throughout 2025-2026.