IAF’s IL-76 heavy-lift plane makes record 13,600-foot touchdown at Nyoma airbase in eastern Ladakh

New Delhi In a historic feat, a Russian-origin heavy-lift transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully landed at the Nyoma air base in eastern Ladakh at an altitude of over 13,600 feet, achieving what the force described as the highest touchdown for the plane anywhere in the world. The airbase is located at a distance of around 25 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

The IAF described the landing as an enduring capability of the aircraft backed by the "exceptional skill, precision and professionalism" of its crew. "An Indian Air Force IL-76MD has scripted history with a successful landing at Nyoma, marking the highest-altitude landing ever achieved by the aircraft anywhere in the world," the IAF said on social media.

"A remarkable demonstration of the aircraft's enduring capability, backed by the exceptional skill, precision, and professionalism of its crew," it said. The IAF said the touchdown was a "milestone" that reinforces India's strategic airlift capability.