All About India's Highest Fighter Airfield In Ladakh's Nyoma

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will construct India's highest fighter airfield in Nyoma, a village in Ladakh. On Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually laid the foundation stone of the airfield in Eastern Ladakh. The Nyoma village is located close to the south Bank of Pangong Tso at an altitude of about 13,700 feet. Nyoma is around 46 kilometres from the Line of Actual Control with China.

The BRO on Sunday announced on X, formerly Twitter, that it will undertake the construction of the fighter airfield soon. "Shilanyas of this project will be done by Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on 12 Sep 23 from Devak Bridge in Jammu. Jai Hind! Jai BRO!!" the text attached to the post read. 

In 2020, at the peak of the Indo-Chinese stand-off, the Indian Airforce moved its Mi-17 medium lift, CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Nyoma. This was done to support troops in forward areas and facilitate surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Nyoma is currently an ALG, meaning the runway is made of mud, allowing only specialised transport aircraft such as the C-130J and helicopters to land. As part of the infrastructure development, a concrete runway of 2.7 km is likely to be completed in 20 months. Once the new runway is up and running heavier transport aircraft will also be able to operate from Nyoma, adding strategic depth to the Indian military.

Cost of Nyoma Airfield

Of the dedicated amount of Rs 2,900 crores, Nyoma Airfield will be developed at a cost of approximately Rs 200 crore, an official statement said. The airfield is part of the 90 infrastructure projects of BRO that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation on Tuesday. Spread across 11 states and union Territories, these 90 projects are worth over Rs 2,900 crore of these 90 projects, 26 are in Ladakh, including Nyoma Airfield.

Rajnath Singh said that he is confident the project will “prove to be a game-changer for the Armed Forces.” The Nyoma Airfield is also expected to boost the air infrastructure in Ladakh. The project will enhance the capability of the Indian Air Force along the Northern Border.  

Mr Singh emphasised that infrastructure development in border areas is crucial to national security, adding that it also improves connectivity with neighbouring countries and functions "with a spirit of cooperation with India."

Besides the Nyoma Airfield, the defence minister hoped the BRO would soon set in motion the construction of Shinkun La Tunnel, the world's highest tunnel at an altitude of 15,855 feet. The tunnel will connect Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal to the Zaskar Valley in Ladakh and provide all-weather connectivity, he said.