- The C-130J “lands” at 13,000 feet from the Mudh-Nyoma station in Ladakh.
- New air base capable of combat operations: Air Marshal (retd) Kapoor.
- The air base will add a new challenge for both “our adversaries”: Kapoor.
NEW DELHI: India's air force chief has made the maiden landing of a military transport plane at a new air base capable of conducting fighter jet operations near the disputed Himalayan border with China, a defense official said on Thursday.
The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors, following a historic pact last October to ease military tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh landed the C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, situated at an altitude of about 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the official added, requesting anonymity because the matter is sensitive.
The Indian Air Force and the Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The new air base, the third such key station in the region, is just 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
“This new airfield in Ladakh, capable of conducting combat operations, will add a new challenge to both our adversaries,” retired Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor wrote in X, referring to neighbors China and Pakistan.
China has an airfield at a similar altitude, he added.
Mistrust persists between China and India despite the thaw, analysts and Indian officials say, with the Indian army chief this year pointing to a growing troop presence and infrastructure build-out on the border by both sides.
India and China share a poorly demarcated border that stretches 3,800 kilometers (2,400 miles) and has been disputed since the 1950s. They fought a brief but brutal war over it in 1962.
Ties soured after a deadly border clash in 2020, before their 2024 pact brought a thaw and easing of some restrictions, allowing direct flights and round-trip visits to resume.
