The strategically significant Mudh-Nyoma airbase in Ladakh was on Wednesday operationalised with chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh landing at the base on board a C-130J transport aircraft.
The airbase is located at a height of around 13,000 feet and is at a distance of around 25 kms from the Line of Actual Control with China.
The operationalisation of the airbase is expected to boost the Indian military's combat readiness in the sensitive sector, officials said.
The Chief of Air Staff landed at the Mudh-Nyoma airbase on board a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, they said.
Air Chief Marshal Singh was accompanied at the airbase by Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, the officials said.
The Rs 218-crore project to operationalise the airbase was implemented by the Border Roads Organisation.
The foundation stone of the project was laid in September 2023 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The airbase can now be used by fighter jets, helicopters and transport planes.
Mudh-Nyoma airbase is the fourth such Air Force base in Ladakh. The three others are located in Leh, Kargil and Thoise.
The Kargil airstrip is located at an altitude of around 10,500 feet.
The defence ministry has been focusing on enhancing infrastructure at almost all airfields along the LAC including the Advanced Landing Grounds as per operational requirement.
It is also in the process of boosting infrastructure at Daulat Beg Oldi Advanced Landing Ground in the Ladakh region.
The Daulat Beg Oldi ALG is located close to the LAC at an altitude of 16,700 feet and is known as the highest airfield in the world.