IAF opens new airstrip in Ladakh nearer to China border

Leh, Sep 18 (PTI) For the first time-ever, the Indian
Air Force Friday landed an AN-32 transport aircraft at the
Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground in eastern Ladakh, just 23 km
from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

The touchdown by the medium lift transport aircraft
signifies India's capability to move its troops quickly to the
forward areas, whenever required.

The IAF move comes in the wake of reports of recent
Chinese intrusions into the Indian side of the LAC, including
airspace violations by their helicopters and painting Mandarin
letters on rocks in red.

The AN-32 aircraft, flown by Shaurya Chakra awardee
Group Captain S C Chafekar and carrying Western Air Command
(WAC) chief Air Marshal N A K Browne and Northern Army
Commander Lt Gen P C Bhardwarj, landed at Nyoma at 0625 hours,
WAC spokesperson Flt Lt Priya Joshi said in New Delhi.

Nyoma ALG is situated at an altitude of 13,300 feet
above sea level and is the third such ALG opened by IAF in the
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir (India's northernmost
state) in the last two years.

The ALGs opened earlier were Daulat Beg Oldi, the
world's highest airfield at 16,200 feet, in May last year and
Fuk Che in November that year.

The IAF had, before this AN-32 landing, used Nyoma
airstrip only for helicopter operations. Only recently, the
IAF took up work to convert it into an ALG for transport
fixed-wing aircraft operations by laying a compacted airstrip,
IAF officials said. (MORE) PTI