With a focus on China, Nyoma advance landing ground to be upgraded

Nyoma is an area of great tactical significance and holds importance for both the IAF and the army. It bridges the crucial gap between Leh airfield around 190-kms away and the LAC

India will soon start upgrading its strategically significant Nyoma advance landing ground (ALG). The facility is located in eastern Ladakh and can support fighter operations. The significance of this facility increases manifold given the aggressive designs the Chinese have in the region. China has consolidated all its air bases and military positions as the 33-month military standoff along the frontier continues, as reported by The Times of India (TOI).

The upgrade costs for the Nyoma ALG are estimated at Rs 230 crore. The upgrade work has to be carried out at an altitude of over 13,400-feet. The facility is located at a distance of less than 50 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. It will take "three working seasons" for the Border Roads Organisation to complete the entire upgrade project, which also includes dispersal areas, hangars, and other allied infrastructure in the forbidden terrain. "So, everything should be ready by  mid-2025," an official concerned with the project told the TOI.

Nyoma is an area of great tactical significance and holds importance for both the IAF and the Indian Army. It bridges the crucial gap between Leh airfield around 190 km away and the LAC. The airfield has been used extensively for the forward deployment of troops and heavy weapon systems like tanks since multiple Chinese incursions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020, said the report.

Heavy-lift Chinook, medium-lift Mi-17 V5, and Apache attack helicopters, as well as C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft, with ability to land on makeshift airstrips, have been operating regularly from the Nyoma ALG. Moreover, the army too, has been practicing airdrops of the paratroopers in the high-altitude region in preparation for any exigencies that may arise, as reported by TOI.

"But there has been a long-felt operational need to make Nyoma capable of handling fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs and Rafales for both defensive and offensive options", said another official. "Operations from Leh and Thoise airfields sometimes get disrupted due to bad weather. The weather in Nyoma is much better throughout the year," he told the TOI.

Additionally, the IAF operates ALGs at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) and Fukche in eastern Ladakh. The one in DBO is particularly significant as it overlooks the Karakoram Pass and is located only a few kilometres from the LAC and the China-occupied Aksai Chin region beyond, the TOI report said. "But DBO is at an even higher altitude of 16,600 feet than Nyoma. There is also little scope to extend the runway at Fukche," the official added, as per the TOI report.

In the recent months, there has been a major spike in Chinese air activity along the LAC which stretches from eastern Ladakh to Arunanchal Pradesh which has prompted the Indian Air Force to scramble its own fighter jets in a precautionary air defence response.

It is important to note that the Chinese have upgraded their major air-bases facing India, like Hotan, Kashgar, Gargunsa, Shigatse, and Lhasa-Gonggar. As reported by TOI, They have all been upgraded with extended runways, hardened shelters, and facilities to store fuel to cater to additional fighter jets, bombers, drones, and reconnaissance aircraft over the last two years.