Nyoma airbase near China border in Ladakh now operational

Nyoma

India on Wednesday operationalised its Nyoma airbase in eastern Ladakh near China border, only days after launching the major Army exercise ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’ in Arunachal Pradesh. According to The Times of India, these developments reflect the sustained military readiness all along the 3,488-km frontier with China.

A senior officer has been quoted by The Time of India to say that "there is ongoing reset in bilateral diplomatic ties. Military CBMs are also being progressively strengthened but the trust deficit on the ground remains high.” According to officer, “with no de-escalation along LAC, troops will continue to be forward deployed for 6th successive winter since multiple Chinese incursions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020.”

The Nyoma airbase, situated roughly 35 km from the Line of Actual Control, has completed a Rs 230-crore upgrade. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flew a C-130J ‘Super Hercules’ from Hindon to Nyoma’s Mudh airfield, one of the world’s highest at 13,710 feet, to formally commission the renovated facility. Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra accompanied him.

The revamped runway, now a 2.7-km rigid surface with new hangars, an ATC building, crash bay and accommodation, enables both large transport aircraft and combat jets to operate from either direction. The base is expected to support regular fighter missions by early 2026, though the thin air at that altitude will continue to pose performance limits. Its primary role will be to speed up deployment of troops and equipment to critical locations like Pangong Tso, Demchok and Depsang.

China, meanwhile, has over the past five years strengthened all its airbases facing Indias with stations such as Hotan, Kashgar, Gargunsa, Shigatse, Bangda, Nyingchi and Hoping now handling additional fighters, including J-20s, as well as bombers, drones and reconnaissance platforms. Numerous heliports have also appeared along its side of the LAC.

Far to the east, the ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’ drills have drawn thousands of soldiers from the 3 Corps, supported by the IAF, ITBP and other agencies, into the high mountains around Mechuka and other zones in Arunachal Pradesh. The exercise is testing airlift capacity, quick mobilisation, mountain manoeuvre warfare and synchronized multi-domain operations. As one officer put it, “the right force must reach the right place at the right time during conflicts.”

Nyoma now joins Leh, Kargil, Thoise and the Daulat Beg Oldie ALG as another key operational hub for the IAF in Ladakh. At the same time, India has steadily reinforced advanced landing grounds across Arunachal such as Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Along and Ziro and even civilian strips in the middle sector of the LAC are increasingly being pressed into military use.