Ladakh Standoff: China expands PLA bases along LAC, develops military advantage against India

In a worrying move for India, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has reportedly expanded its air power and has developed a variety of offensive capabilities the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since Ladakh military standoff started in May 2020.

According to an examination of satellite images, China has expanded its airfields along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since 2020, giving its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) the ability to carry out a wider variety of operations and to counter India’s comparative advantages in some places.

Since the military standoff on the LAC started in May 2020, there have been significant changes in the area, demonstrating China’s massive expansion of airfields, helipads, railway facilities, missile bases, roads, and bridges for both faster troop deployment and the development of a variety of offensive capabilities.

According to an analysis of satellite images of the airfields at Hotan, Ngari Gunsa, and Lhasa that Planet Labs provided exclusively to Hindustan Times, the Chinese side has either expanded these facilities by constructing new runways, hardened shelters designed to protect combat jets, or new support and military operations buildings.

These three Chinese airfields were selected for investigation due to their proximity to important Indian positions and present operational use in the midst of the stalemate with India, which has brought bilateral ties to a six-decade low. The first deaths along the LAC in 45 years occurred in June 2020 during a fierce battle at Galwan Valley, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and an undetermined number of Chinese forces.

Officials from India chose not to comment on the study. This year, during bilateral discussions and meetings held on the fringes of major forums, India made it clear to China that normalcy along the LAC is necessary for normal bilateral relations.

Located in southwestern Xinjiang, the Hotan airfield is about 400km – as the crow fliws – from Leh, the capital of Ladakh. The airfield saw its last expansion in 2002. Satellite images from June 2020 did not show any new no construction or development near the airfield.

Hotan Airfield includes a new runway, new aircraft and military operations support buildings, and a new apron, according to a satellite image from May 2023. The development of additional weapons storage facilities nearby the airfield serves as support for these enhancements. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been spotted operating out of Hotan in recent satellite photographs of the airbase, and the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter has been stationed there during the standoff.

The distance between the Ngari Gunsa airfield in Tibet Autonomous Region and Pangong Lake, the scene of numerous clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers and where the Chinese side is constructing a crucial bridge, is 200 kilometres. After the standoff at Doklam in 2017, the airfield’s activities were increased. At that time, the airfield was home to combat jets.

In a June 2020 satellite view, there was just one aircraft apron with combat jets. A new taxiway and enhancements to the runway can be seen in a photo taken in May of this year. Additionally, there are at least 16 additional fortified aircraft shelters, as well as new structures for supporting military operations and aircraft. UAVs are visible at this airfield as well. For Chinese soldiers, Ngari Gunsa has been a crucial logistical hub, acting as a link between regions south of Aksai Chin and deployments further inside Tibet.

Long-standing dual-use airport in Lhasa, the administrative centre of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is fewer than 250 km, in a straight line, from Tawang, the hub of Chinese claims in the eastern sector of the LAC, although not being in the western sector.

On an existing aircraft apron, combat jets might be seen in a satellite photograph from May 2020. A photo from May of this year revealed a new runway, a new apron, at least 30 new protected aircraft shelters, and new support structures all under development.

South of the Lhasa airfield, underground facilities, a radar and electronic warfare unit, and an air defence unit have all been developed, according to recent satellite imagery.

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