NEW DELHI: In a significant boost to India’s military readiness near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, the strategic airfield at Nyoma in eastern Ladakh is on track to become operational by October. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is nearing completion of the major infrastructure upgrade at one of the world’s highest airfields, situated at an altitude of 13,710 feet.
The ₹230 crore project has transformed the Nyoma airstrip into a 2.7-kilometre-long rigid runway, capable of supporting operations by a wide range of fixed-wing aircraft — from heavy-lift transport planes to combat jets. The upgrade also includes a dispersal area, turning pads, and essential support infrastructure such as an air traffic control (ATC) complex, hangars, crash bays, watchtowers, and troop accommodations.
“The 46-meter-wide runway is now fully ready. Most of the supporting infrastructure is also complete,” a senior official told. “Nyoma will serve as a key forward staging base for troops and logistics in the region. It will also support fighter jet operations by early 2026, although high altitude remains a limiting factor — a challenge the Chinese air force also faces across the LAC.”
Over the past five years, China has significantly upgraded its air capabilities near the LAC, countering the limitations posed by high altitude and thin air — both of which reduce aircraft payload capacity. Beijing has extended runways, built hardened aircraft shelters, and expanded fuel and ammunition storage at several airbases, enabling the deployment of advanced platforms including J-20 stealth fighters, bombers, drones, and surveillance aircraft at key locations such as Hotan, Kashgar, Gargunsa, Shigatse, Bangda, Nyingchi, and Hoping. Numerous new heliports have also been constructed along the 3,488-km border, stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
India, meanwhile, is steadily ramping up its own infrastructure to narrow the strategic gap. Located just 35 km from the LAC, Nyoma will become the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fourth major airbase in Ladakh, after Leh, Kargil, Thoise, and the advanced landing ground (ALG) at Daulat Beg Oldie. Nyoma was first reactivated in September 2009 when an IAF AN-32 transport aircraft landed there, but the current upgrade began amid heightened tensions with China following the PLA’s incursions in April-May 2020.
India has also been enhancing infrastructure at other ALGs in sensitive border areas. In Ladakh, Fukche and DBO have seen major improvements. In Arunachal Pradesh, ALGs such as Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Along, and Ziro have been upgraded to support military operations. Similarly, civil ALGs in the central sector — in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh — are now increasingly being utilized for strategic military purposes.
