Runways of Resolve! India Revives Strategic Airstrips in Ladakh and Arunachal

In a decisive move aimed at bolstering India’s preparedness along its contested frontier with China, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has cleared the revival of two long-defunct advanced landing grounds (ALGs). The sites  at Chushul in eastern Ladakh and Anini in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley  are being restored to strengthen India’s military and logistical reach in high-altitude zones that have remained flashpoints in Sino-Indian relations.

Both ALGs lie in close proximity to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto boundary where tensions have periodically flared. Sources indicate that the Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to employ these strips not just for fixed-wing aircraft but also for operating helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The existing airstrip dimensions are suitable for tactical platforms like the Airbus C-295 and the C-130J special operations aircraft, both critical for rapid deployments.

The Chushul ALG, located at 14,000 feet and barely 4 km west of the LAC, carries deep historical significance. During the 1962 India-China war, the IAF used it to airlift AMX-13 light tanks and artillery, a move many historians believe prevented Ladakh from being completely overrun. However, repeated proposals to reactivate Chushul in the past were shelved, primarily to avoid provoking Beijing. The latest revival reflects a shift in India’s strategic calculus, prioritizing readiness over restraint.

Anini, the second ALG identified for revival, is perched on a natural plateau in far-eastern Arunachal Pradesh. Once a staging point for Allied supply missions to China during World War II  via the fabled “Hump” route over the eastern Himalayas  it later saw the IAF attempt to lay a mud-paved runway, which was never fully operationalized. With a clear 1.5 km stretch available, officials say the site can be rapidly converted into a functional base to support both military logistics and regional connectivity.

In recent years, India has systematically expanded its footprint in sensitive border areas. Ladakh already hosts two active ALGs at Daulat Beg Oldie and Nyoma, the latter soon to be upgraded into a full-fledged airbase. In Arunachal, seven ALGs have been modernized into all-weather runways, enabling transport aircraft to carry supplies and civilians into remote valleys.

Reviving Chushul and Anini, analysts say, is more than a logistical project. It is a signal  of India’s resolve to fortify its borders, diversify its military infrastructure, and ensure it is never caught unprepared in a region where history and geopolitics intersect at 14,000 feet.