India's fighter airbase in eastern Ladakh set for October takeoff

Deccan Herald

19-07-2025

New Delhi: India's military infrastructure in eastern Ladakh is set for a major boost with a fighter airbase at Nyoma coming up within a few months and Daulat Beg Oldie, the country's highest military outpost, to get an alternate axis by next year for quick troop movement, defence sources said.The Mudh air base at Nyoma – 50 km from the Line of Actual Control that separates China from India – would be ready by this October, sources said.This will set the stage for the Indian Air Force to operate some of its fighter jets from a base at an altitude of 11,000 ft and is in close proximity to the LAC. .The alternate road link to the DBO below the Karakoram range would take one more year and is likely to be ready by 2026 to provide summer connectivity to the world's highest airstrip through the strategic Sub-Sector North.This will be an alternate axis to the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO (DSDBO) road that runs parallel to the LAC.The Sasoma-Sasser La-Sasser Brangsa-Gapshan-DBO link will aid movement of troops from Siachen base camp to DBO within a few hours, as against the current option of spending nearly two days on transit during which the soldiers come down to Leh and take the DSDBO route. .Constructed by the Border Roads Organisation, the new road has nine bridges that are currently capable of ferrying vehicles weighing up to 40 tonnes.All of them, sources said, would be converted to Class-70 bridges for the movement of heavy military vehicles including tanks.While the alternate road link will be operational between March and November currently, sources said a proposal to create a tunnel under the 17,800 ft Sasser pass was being prepared. .If the proposal is approved by the government, it would take about 4-5 years to complete the road, providing all weather access to DBO by two roads.A second route to the DBO is necessary because the DSDBO road comes under direct Chinese observation at several points.Located at an elevation of 16,700 ft, DBO is strategically critical to India because of its proximity to over 18,000 ft high Karakoram pass that separates China's Xinjiang province from Ladakh. .To the west of DBO, China is constructing the controversial China Pakistan Economic Corridor. The Karakoram highway connecting Gilgit to Xinjiang is also near DBO, making the outpost strategically significant.Development of military infrastructure near the LAC received a boost in the wake of the recent India-China border conflict in eastern Ladakh.For instance, turning Nyoma into a fighter-base was a proposal that the IAF mooted way back in 2010 after successfully landing an AN-32 transporter, but the idea gained traction in the wake of the recent border tension. .New Delhi focussed on improving its air bases near the LAC after it noticed that the communist country had upgraded all its airfields with longer runways and hardened shelters all along the 3,488 km long disputed boundary.Once ready, the Nyoma air base will support MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI operations besides regular flights of transporters like C-130J and AN-32 carrying troops.