New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Saturday that one of its IL-76MD heavy-lift transport aircraft has landed at Nyoma airfield in eastern Ladakh at an altitude of 13,629 feet. The IAF said this is the highest-altitude landing ever achieved by an IL-76MD anywhere in the world.
The Nyoma airbase is located 25 km from the Line of Actual Control. It is also the fourth-highest airbase in the world. The Indian Air Force operates from four air bases in Ladakh, at Leh, Thoise, Kargil and Mudh-Nyoma, along with several advanced landing grounds.
“13,629 FEET. A NEW HEIGHT IN AVIATION HISTORY,” the IAF announced in a post on X, sharing photographs and a video of the aircraft at Nyoma. It called the landing a demonstration of the aircraft’s enduring capability and praised the crew’s “exceptional skill, precision, and professionalism”. It said the achievement reinforces India’s strategic airlift capability.
Nyoma is in eastern Ladakh, close to the line of actual control (LAC) with China. Rugged terrain in the region makes it hard to move troops, military equipment and essential supplies.
Air is thinner at high altitude, so wings generate less lift and engines produce less power. These conditions make a heavy aircraft harder to control during approach and landing require careful handling by the crew.
The IL-76MD is a Soviet-designed, four-engine heavy transport aircraft that carries troops, equipment and cargo.