India is upgrading a high-altitude advanced landing ground (ALG) near China into a fighter jet airbase.
Ninety-five percent of work on extending the Nyoma ALG to 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles) is complete, Kashmir News Observer revealed, citing officials involved in the project.
However, related infrastructure work, such as hangars, an air traffic control building, and hard standing areas, is likely to keep the airbase from opening till September 2025.
Prior to the upgrade, the ALG had already been receiving helicopters and special operations planes, such as the C-130J. However, an airbase would enhance its strategic importance manifold.
Moreover, Nyoma’s weather is much more stable than two of the three airfields in the Union Territory of Ladakh, allowing seamless operations, according to The Hindu.
World’s Highest Fighter Air Base
The ALG is located about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Line of Actual Control (the demarcation line between the Indian and Chinese-controlled territories), around 13,700 feet (4,176 meters) above sea level, making it the highest fighter air base in the world.
To keep the jets flying in temperatures as low as – 40 degrees Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit), the engines of the fighter jets have been tweaked, according to The HIndu.
The upgrade was ordered following the standoff between the Indian and the Chinese armies in 2023.
China’s infrastructure buildup since the violent clashes between the two armies in 2020 has been even more impressive along the 3,488-kilometer (2,167 miles) Line of Actual Control, including upgrading existing airfields, construction of dual-use airfields, roads, accommodation for troops, and ammunition dumps.