The Indian Air Force officially inaugurated the Mudh-Nyoma Air Force Base in the Eastern Ladakh region earlier this week, heralded as the “highest combat air base in the world”. Despite the apparent “thaw” in Sino-Indian relations, both sides continue to maintain a high level of military deployment along the border, with deep-rooted mutual distrust.
Nyoma Air Force Base, located at an altitude of 13,700 feet (about 4,000 meters), is only 23 kilometers away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering China. The base features a 2.7-kilometer-long runway capable of supporting the landing and take-off of advanced fighter jets such as the Su-30MKI and Rafale, significantly enhancing India’s military preparedness.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has described the base as a “game-changer” for the armed forces. The project, costing over 2 billion rupees (approximately 22.5 million US dollars), has strengthened surveillance and response capabilities along the Line of Actual Control.
According to Indian media reports, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh landed a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft at the base on Wednesday, officially inaugurating the facility.
The strategic value of the Nyoma base lies in its ability to significantly reduce deployment time to disputed areas like Pangong Tso, Demchok, and Depsang, thereby bolstering India’s deterrence and response capabilities in high-altitude regions.
Despite a 2024 agreement between India and China to ease tensions, officials and analysts point out that trust levels in the border areas remain low.
The upgrade of the Nyoma Air Force Base was carried out under the shadow of the 2020 military standoff. A senior official told The Times of India that due to the lack of substantial de-escalation along the LAC, Indian forces are set to maintain frontline deployments for the sixth consecutive winter.
This approximately 21.8 billion rupees project is part of the ongoing escalation of military construction along the India-China border.
Reports indicate that while India is constructing roads, bridges, and airports along the border, China is also building new air force bases, missile sites, reinforcing bunkers, and underground facilities.
Although the Indian Defense Ministry’s assessment at the end of 2024 characterized the overall situation along the LAC as “stable but sensitive”, the commissioning of this high-altitude air force base undoubtedly represents another crucial military response measure in India’s ongoing border confrontation.