 "How Nyoma airfield in Ladakh marks a military aviation milestone for India")
India has fully operationalised the Changthang Nyoma (Mudh) airbase in Ladakh, making it fit even for fighter aircraft. Nyoma is a tehsil under Leh district, a principal village of southern Ladakh, with a population of under 1,000. This tehsil borders the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China on the south and the east. The eastern border, a Line of Actual Control (LAC) resulting from the 1962 war with China, runs along the Kailash Range watershed of the Indus River till the village of Dumchele and narrows to the right bank of the Indus River up to Demchok.
Road infrastructure in this area is being enhanced under the India-China Border Roads projects. Wildlife clearance was granted in 2022 for laying optical fibre cables in the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary for the internet and telephony connectivity. Since 2010, foreign tourists with Inner Line Permits are permitted to visit Nyoma and its monastery.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) airbase is named after the Mudh village, which is close to Nyoma. The airfield has been converted from a basic landing strip into a full-fledged airbase with a 2.7 km paved runway, hangars, and air traffic control facilities. The airfield is just 35 kilometres from the LAC at the closest point towards its east. At an altitude of 13,700 feet, it is the world’s highest operational fighter airbase.
The airfield, which was once an Advance Landing Ground (ALG) built in 1962 during the Sino-Indian conflict, was later paved for An-32 medium transport aircraft landing. More recently the airfield has been lengthened and paved for the C-130 and IL-76 aircraft. Even the C-17 can now land. More importantly, the IAF has cleared the airfield for Su-30 MKI operations. More types of fighters will land later, it is supposed.
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View AllNyoma Airfield Details and Location
Nyoma ALG is situated in the Changthang region of eastern Ladakh; it is on the bank of the Indus River. The Indus River here is said to be wide and shallow and can be easily forded. The valley is reasonably wide and clear for aircraft operations. Built originally in 1962 but remained unutilised till it was reactivated in 2008. A trial landing by an AN-32 tactical transporter from Number 48 Squadron flying out of Chandigarh was carried out in September that year. Apart from helicopters, AN-32 and C-130 Super Hercules have been operating from Nyoma for ferrying troops and bringing in supplies and equipment. Operations from Nyoma boosted the Indian Army’s logistics support in the remote region. But navigation and support facilities had remained rudimentary.
After the 2020 stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Central Government decided to convert the airstrip into a full-fledged airbase. The Government of India announced in January 2023 that this airstrip will be upgraded in two years by the end of 2024 at a cost of ₹218 crore ($26 million) to a 1,235-acre full fighter jet airbase at 13,700 feet (4,200 m) elevation with an expanded 2.7 km paved runway with a width of 46 metres (151 ft) and the ability to operate aircraft and have minor repair facilities. Aeroplanes can land from both directions on this airstrip.
The central part of Pangong Tso (Lake) is around 50 kilometres to the north. Airbase is around 140 kilometres south-east of Leh. China’s G219 highway runs 100 kilometres to the east. G219 highway is China’s longest national highway, spanning over 10,000 km along its western and southern borders, from Kom-Kanas in Xinjiang to Dongxing in Guangxi. The highway passes through the disputed Aksai Chin region of Ladakh. China’s Ngari Kunsha Airport is just 180 kilometres to the south-east of Nyoma.
Nyoma has been connected with a metalled road for quite some time with Leh and many border areas near LAC. The construction of an airbase at Mudh, Nyoma, was assigned to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in 2023. This was to be the world’s highest operational, fully fledged, fighter-capable military airbase with fighter operations. The base is now fully ready to be formally dedicated to the nation, perhaps by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shortly. All allied infrastructure, like hangars, an air traffic control building, hard-standing areas, a crash bay, watch towers, and accommodation facilities, are in place.
The upgrade would also enable regular operations by strategic airlift aircraft like the Boeing C-17 and the Ilyushin IL-76, allowing rapid induction of troops as well as heavy equipment like tanks, air defence systems and artillery guns. Fighter squadrons would be deployed at Nyoma on a rotational basis. Unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as attack helicopters like the ALH Rudra and Apache, which have been operating in Ladakh since the stand-off, would operate from this base regularly. It also offers the element of speed and surprise for launching composite air operations. The airbase will be available for combat aircraft operations by early 2026.
Nearby Nyoma is the Indian military’s 1260-hectare “Mahe Field Firing Range” (MFFR). It is around 40–50 km from the LAC. This is the one-of-a-kind firing range in the entire Indian-held Ladakh region where all types of weapons can be fired.
Operational Significance of Nyoma
The airfield will make it the third fighter airbase in Ladakh, in addition to Leh and Thoise. The permanent stationing of aerial assets at Nyoma will increase deterrence against China and will boost surveillance and intelligence operations along the LAC. Though the C-17 and IL-76 are capable of operating from unpaved airstrips, IAF did not choose to do so at very high altitudes in Ladakh. The proximity of the airbase to the sensitive Demchok Sector and Depsang Plains, which have seen high Chinese activity and friction between India and China, will help logistic and operational support to the sector.
As India pushes air power to new heights, Nyoma strengthens India’s Himalayan border. The airfield gives shorter reaction times for logistical movements by large IAF transport aircraft. The operational supplies can then be moved closer to the LAC using roads, helicopters or drones. The airbase could be a major drone/drone swarm launch base.
Airfield Vulnerabilities
The main vulnerability of the airbase is due to its proximity to the LAC. Being just 35 kilometres from LAC at the closest point, it could come under medium-to-long-range artillery fire. The airbase will be vulnerable to drone surveillance or attacks. The aircraft operating could be subjected to electronic attack. The roads and bridges could face interdiction.
But the same is true of many IAF airfields, including Pathankot and Amritsar, among others. Any enemy action would invite retribution against adversary airfields, some of which are reasonably close. In times of standoff weapons and cruise missiles, even deeper airfields could be vulnerable. So the peacetime and operational wartime dividend cannot be overlooked or weighed against vulnerability.
There are also the vulnerabilities of weather in that region. Temperatures hit below minus 40°C in winters, and strong winds batter the area. These have issues for both the man and machine. In summers, there is the impact of “hot and high” operations, requiring longer runway length for take-off or compromising on total load. There are issues related to engine start on the ground.
For maintenance and repair of aircraft, there is a need for heated hangars. Also oils and lubricants and certain electronic systems and avionics need special storage conditions. There is a limited window, 6-7 months, to carry out civil works and repairs of infrastructure. Positioning of building aggregates and materials has to be planned well before the passes close due to snow.
But IAF has had a presence in Ladakh for eight decades now and is well conditioned to operate under such conditions. The prime minister, defence minister, and the military commanders visit the region quite frequently and are conscious of the hard realities and have put in place mitigating administrative means.
Other Major Airbases in Ladakh
At present Leh and Thoise, located at altitudes of around 10,000 feet, are the only airfields in Ladakh capable of fighter operations with 24/7 operational readiness. The primary runway at Leh Airport (Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport) is approximately 9,040 feet (2,754 metres) long, with a width of 150 feet. It is a single asphalt runway. Large variants of IAF fighters have operated from Leh, including the indigenous LCA and top-end Rafale, among others. But mostly the MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30 MKI operate more regularly. All transport aircraft, including the C-17 Globemaster, Il-76, C-130 and An-32, operate regularly. All types of helicopters operate in Ladakh, including Mi-26, Mi-17, Chinook, Apache, ALH variants, and Cheetah. Most airlines have multiple civil flights every day.
The Thoise Air Force Station is in the Nubra region of Ladakh, situated on the only large piece of flat land in the area. Thoise is an acronym for “Transit Halt Of Indian Soldiers Enroute” (to Siachen). The airstrip is a critical facility enabling a quick inflow of men and material from the Indian interior to Siachen, a glacier, helipad and battleground near the Actual Ground Position Line between India and Pakistan. It is also the feed airfield for Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO). Thoise is nearly 16 km from Hundar, 25 km from Diskit, and the road further leads to Turtuk, which lies near the India-Pakistan Line of Control (LoC). It is about 160 km from Leh, the capital of Ladakh.
Thoise is reached via the Khardung La mountain pass, one of the world’s highest roads used by all types of motor vehicles, including civil. Indian Oil Corporation Limited has built an oil depot to serve the military. For a short while some civil flights operated to Thoise, but were later not considered economically viable.
IAF’s transport aircraft and helicopters have been operating there for many decades. Hunter aircraft were the first fighters to operate there in 1984, followed later by MiG-23s and MiG-29s. The primary fighter aircraft operating from Thoise in recent times have been the MiG-29s and Su-30 MKIs. The MiG-29s were notably deployed to the region following border tensions with China in 2020.
The key advanced landing grounds (ALGs) in Ladakh were Nyoma, DBO and Fukche. DBO is located in Northern Ladakh. An Indian border outpost was established here in the summer of 1960, and an ALG was also constructed, making it one of the world’s highest airstrips at the northern edge of Depsang Plains at an elevation of 5,100 metres (16,700 ft). It is just 13 kilometres from Karakoram Pass, which is strategically significant and historically important for the region. The international border with China is 8 km to the north, and the Line of Actual Control with Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin is 9 km to the east. Other than Siachen Glacier military bases, DBO is India’s northernmost settlement. There are now all-weather metalled roads to DBO, such as the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO Road and the Sasoma-Saser La-DBO Road.
Fukche ALG is an airfield in the Demchok sector of Ladakh. It was built shortly before the 1962 Sino-Indian War and was revived in 2008 with the landing of IAF’s An-32 aircraft. It is located adjacent to Koyul, 34 km northwest of Demchok. It is in the Koyul Lungpa river valley, close to the confluence of the river with the Indus. The LAC with China, which runs along the Indus River, is only 2.5 kilometres away.
Beyond the LAC is the Chinese-controlled Demchok sector up to the Chang La pass. It was the sixth such landing ground to be prepared in Ladakh, starting with Leh in 1948, which was in the midst of the Kashmir War. All the landing grounds were built on land that is hard, barren and sandwiched between ranges of parallel-running mountains.
During the 2013 Depsang standoff, China demanded the bunkers being constructed at Fukche be stopped. But the Indians pointed out the constant upgrading of the Chinese infrastructure on their side of the LAC. In the end, the Chinese disengaged at Despang without insisting on concessions regarding Fukche. The military ALG has an unpaved gravelly runway of 2 miles in length. It accommodates small transport aircraft, meant for inducting or recycling troops at the border.
The Chushul-Dungti-Fukche-Demchok Highway (CDFD road), along the southern bank of the Indus River, which marks the LAC, will be converted to a single-lane, 7.45-metre-wide, 135 km-long national highway with a paved shoulder. Chushul and Fukche airstrips lie along this highway. It will also provide faster access to the Nyoma airbase. The road will be completed and commissioned by December 2025.
The “Likaru-Mig La-Fukche Road” (LMLF Road), a 64 km long route through 19,400 ft Mig La, was completed recently, and it overtook the “Chisumle-Demchok Road” (via Umling La, 19,300 ft) as the world’s highest motorable road. The road via Umling La already passes at a height higher than the base camp of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest.
Way Ahead
India continues to build fresh roads and improve connectivity in Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC. More are being converted into all-weather roads by building more tunnels. Roads are being built from different axes to cover multiple approaches. There is also a proposal for a railway line to Leh. The Bhanupli–Leh line will be the most challenging railway project in Indian Railways due to high mountains, a large number of tunnels, high bridges, and severe cold weather.
Air remains the fastest means of movement and thus remains a major focus. Ladakh needed more airfields to sustain fighter operations. For a long time IAF had been mulling the need for a second runway at Leh. For various reasons the same was not possible.
Nyoma offered the best bowl in the hills for building the airfield. It has added a major airhead for fighter operations, greatly reducing reaction time. Some fighter operations in the region will continue to be augmented from airbases like Ambala (230 km from LAC), Sarsawa, Awantipura, and elsewhere. India’s increased focus on LAC infrastructure will continue in times ahead. Operationalisation of Nyoma is another military aviation milestone for India.
(The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.)
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