New Delhi, Apr 10 (IANS): India is well prepared to defend itself in the face of a war, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Tuesday, dismissing as "rumours" reports about shortage of ammunition for the armed forces.

"These are all rumours that ammunition only for four days is left in the stock. India is well prepared," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of an Indian Air Force (IAF) function here.

He was asked about reports that a parliamentary panel was informed by senior IAF and army officers that stocks of certain types of tank munitions were down to four days of reserves. This follows the leaked letter army chief Gen V.K. Singh wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, referring to serious gaps in India's defence preparedness.

But the defence minister denied any gaps in the preparedness of the armed forces. "I can assure that India is fully prepared. On the whole, the Indian armed forces are better prepared to face challenges." he said.