An Indian Air Force IL-76MD heavy-lift aircraft scripted aviation history by executing its highest-altitude landing anywhere in the world at the 13,629-foot Mudh-Nyoma airbase in Ladakh, with the landmark feat reinforcing India’s strategic airlift capability and operational reach, the air force announced on Saturday.
Inaugurated just a year ago, the airbase lies 23km from the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The Soviet-origin aircraft made the record-breaking landing on Friday, officials said.
The IAF hailed the feat as “a new height in aviation history.”
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“A remarkable demonstration of the aircraft’s enduring capability, backed by the exceptional skill, precision, and professionalism of its crew. A milestone that reinforces India’s strategic airlift capability. Pushing boundaries. Redefining limits. Making history,” it said on X, sharing visuals of the milestone.
Just a week earlier, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took command of the world’s fourth-largest air force.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retired as IAF chief on October 31, inaugurated the airbase in November 2025, landing a C-130J special operations aircraft there.
{{/usCountry}}Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retired as IAF chief on October 31, inaugurated the airbase in November 2025, landing a C-130J special operations aircraft there.
{{/usCountry}}Defence minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for the airbase in September 2023 in the shadow of the 2020-2024 military standoff with China along the LAC, describing it as a “game-changer” for the armed forces.
The Nyoma airstrip was out of use for decades after the 1962 India-China war before the IAF reactivated it in September 2009 and landed an AN-32 transport aircraft there for the first time. The IAF reactivated its other two airstrips at Daulet Beg Oldi (16,614 feet) and Fukche (13,000 feet) in the Ladakh sector in May 2008 and November 2008.
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A crew of women officers spearheaded the ₹218-crore project to upgrade the Nyoma airstrip into a full-fledged base capable of supporting offensive and defensive operations.
The airbase, with a 2.7-km runway, can operate fighter jets, transport planes and helicopters. Allied infrastructure there includes hangars, an air traffic control building and hard standing (hard-surfaced areas for parking aircraft and vehicles).
After the standoff with China began in April 2020, India built roads, bridges, tunnels, airfields and helipads in its border areas to support military mobility and logistics for deployed forces. Infrastructure development also focused on providing a better living experience and improved facilities to soldiers, and conservation of modern weapons and equipment deployed in forward areas.
China itself constructed new airbases, missile sites, roads, bridges, reinforced bunkers, underground facilities to protect military assets from aerial strikes, accommodation for soldiers and ammunition depots.
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India’s border infrastructure push has been powered by speedy execution of strategic projects to support military operations, increased spending, and focussed adoption of technology and techniques.
India and China reached an understanding in October 2024 on disengaging troops from all friction points in the Ladakh sector, ending a standoff that lasted more than four years and took ties to a six-decade low.