India activates advanced fighter-capable airbase close to a contested border with China
Chief of Air Staff Marchal A P Singh visited the Indian Air Force and Indian Army personnel deployed in the Ladakh sector last month. Photo from Indian Airforce X account.
By: Pirzada Shakir | Published: November 28, 2025
Reading Time: 5 minutes
New Delhi — India has activated a new high-altitude military airbase in eastern Ladakh, marking its third major strategic facility near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, despite ongoing diplomatic overtures and a recent easing in bilateral tensions.
The newly operational Mudh-Nyoma Air Force Station, located just 30 kilometers from the frontier, is being hailed as a “game-changer” for India’s defenses in the region. It highlighted New Delhi’s resolve to upgrade its security posture amid China’s expanding military infrastructure on the Tibetan plateau, even as official engagements signal a thaw in bilateral relations.
Perched at an altitude of around 13,000 feet, Nyoma is among the highest fighter-capable airbases in the world. Its location allows India to rapidly deploy troops, equipment, and combat aircraft to sensitive flashpoints such as Pangong Tso, Chushul, and Depsang, areas that witnessed major stand-offs with China in recent years.
Retired Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda, a former commander of the Indian Army’s Northern Command, which is responsible for operational control along the LAC, particularly in Ladakh said the new base is “crucial and important.”
“[If] some crisis happens and you suddenly need to induct additional forces… even in the year 2020 [Galwan Valley skirmishes], most of the heavy equipment like tanks, etc., were brought into Ladakh by air. So, when you have an additional airbase, the induction can be much faster. Buildup of additional forces can be much faster,” Hooda told Asia-Pacific Insights.
He said logistics remain the biggest challenge in Ladakh during winters, with two major routes cut off for months due to heavy snowfall. “Logistics is managed through Indian Air Force aircrafts,” he added.
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Unlike the bases in Leh, Thoise, and Kargil, Nyoma, first opened during the 1962 India-China War, directly overlooks contested approaches, providing India a significant tactical and logistical advantage.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, accompanied by Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, landed a C-130J transport aircraft at the base on November 12.
Developed at a cost exceeding ₹200 crore (about $24 million), Nyoma has been transformed from a rudimentary transport airstrip into a fully capable fighter base. It will host frontline jets such as the Su-30MKI and Rafale from early 2026, according to reports.
Major General A K Siwach (Retd.) said the base can also “improve the connectivity as far as the civilians are concerned.
It will enhance economic activities in that area. So it has a dual purpose,” he said.
He called the airfield “a force multiplier and game changer” as he said it gives India an added advantage against China as “it will also be used for surveillance across the LAC. There are radars, sensors there.”
The timing is notable: the airbase was activated as soon as after India and China signed a de-escalation pact and following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Beijing, marking a brief period of relative calm after the 2020–2022 border crises.
Yet experts emphasised that lingering mistrust remains, as China continues to expand hardened shelters and upgrade runways across the Tibetan plateau, developments that New Delhi views with caution.
Amid improving diplomatic engagements, Hooda stressed that maintaining vigilance and building “key infrastructure” along the LAC must remain non-negotiable. “China is building infrastructure at the border at a very fast pace. If you look at infrastructure building across the LAC, one area of focus [for China] has been air infrastructure,” he said.
India and China share an unresolved 3,800 km frontier, with periodic stand-offs that have escalated into violent clashes, most notably in 2020, when India reported 20 fatalities and China acknowledged four. Independent reports estimate the combined death toll at between 38 and 45.
Nyoma, previously used only for limited transport operations, was upgraded rapidly in response to China’s accelerated military build-up and troop movements following the Galwan crisis.
Major General A K Siwach (Retd.), who has headed India’s Territorial Army, which has participated in several wars, said that after the 2020 skirmishes, “we wanted an airfield very close to the Line of Actual Control, one that could support reconnaissance and surveillance, land fighter aircrafts and large logistics aircraft’s like C17 Globe Master.
He added, “fighter aircraft can also be deployed from there [Mudh-Nyoma base], which significantly improves our reach into the Tibetan plateau.
Indian experts agree that infrastructure expansion on LAC is increasingly central to maintaining deterrence and ensuring rapid mobilisation.
Major General Siwach explained, “if you are weak then China is going to bully you and can also grab your land through, you can say, by any means, by attacking or by inching forward.”
He insisted that India’s defensive and offensive capabilities have substantially increased.
“If you want to avoid a war with China, be prepared for war. The stronger you are and better prepared you are, the chances of conflict between India and China reduce considerably, Major General Siwach concluded. (Also read: India developing deep-strike weapon, challenges US bunker-buster ordnance dominance)
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