SOURCE: AFI
China’s Lhunze airbase, located just 100 kilometers from Tawang in India’s Arunachal Pradesh, is undergoing a rapid and significant transformation. Recent developments—new shelters, hangars, and expanded aprons—signal an ambitious military upgrade by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). This escalation, positioned perilously close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern sector, is poised to recalibrate the airpower balance in a region already fraught with tension. As India watches closely, the implications of this buildup extend far beyond mere infrastructure, hinting at China’s broader strategic intent along its disputed border.
Lhunze airbase, situated in Shannan Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies at an elevation of approximately 3,700 meters. Its proximity to Tawang—a culturally and strategically significant town in Arunachal Pradesh—places it within striking distance of India’s eastern frontier. Tawang, roughly 30 miles south of the McMahon Line, has long been a flashpoint in Sino-Indian relations, with China claiming it as part of “South Tibet.” The airbase’s location offers the PLAAF a forward operating hub, enhancing its ability to project airpower over Arunachal Pradesh and monitor Indian military movements along the LAC.
The eastern sector of the LAC, stretching across Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, has seen intermittent skirmishes, most notably the December 2022 clash in Yangtse near Tawang. While the western sector (Ladakh) has dominated headlines since the 2020 Galwan Valley standoff, China’s focus on Lhunze suggests a deliberate shift to bolster its capabilities in the east—a move that could open a new front in the ongoing border dispute.
The ongoing enhancements at Lhunze airbase are striking in their scope and speed. New hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) are being constructed, designed to protect fighter jets and drones from preemptive strikes, a clear nod to survivability in a potential conflict. Expanded aprons—paved areas for parking and servicing aircraft—indicate an intent to accommodate a larger fleet, including advanced fighters like the J-20 stealth jet or H-6 bombers. Additional hangars suggest increased capacity for maintenance and storage, ensuring operational readiness in the harsh high-altitude environment of the Tibetan Plateau.
These upgrades align with China’s broader pattern of airbase modernization along the LAC. Since 2020, the PLAAF has enhanced facilities at Hotan, Ngari Gunsa, and Shigatse, adding runways, shelters, and air defense systems. Lhunze, however, stands out due to its proximity to India’s eastern sector, where the terrain favors defensive operations but limits rapid force deployment. The airbase’s evolution could offset this disadvantage, enabling China to sustain air operations closer to the border than ever before.
The Lhunze upgrade threatens to tilt the airpower dynamics along the LAC’s eastern sector. Historically, India has leveraged its lower-altitude airbases—like Hasimara in West Bengal, home to Rafale jets—where aircraft can take off with heavier payloads compared to China’s high-altitude Tibetan bases. However, Lhunze’s enhancements, coupled with its strategic positioning, could narrow this gap. Hardened shelters and expanded facilities suggest China aims to station a permanent, combat-ready air contingent, potentially including stealth fighters and high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAVs like the WZ-7 Xianglong, already spotted at other regional bases.
This buildup enhances China’s ability to conduct surveillance, rapid response, and offensive operations. The PLAAF could deploy air superiority missions or precision strikes, challenging India’s deterrence-by-punishment strategy, which relies on swift counterstrikes from its forward bases. Moreover, Lhunze’s proximity to Tawang—less than a 10-minute flight for a modern jet—reduces reaction time, putting pressure on India’s air defenses, including the recently deployed S-400 systems near the Siliguri Corridor.
India is not standing still. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been upgrading its eastern airbases, such as Chabua and Tezpur, with hardened shelters and additional runways to counter China’s growing presence. The deployment of Rafale jets at Hasimara, approximately 300 kilometers from Lhunze, provides a potent response capability, bolstered by advanced sensors and long-range Meteor missiles. Exercises like the Eastern Air Command’s air combat drill in 2023 demonstrate India’s focus on maintaining operational readiness in the region.
Beyond military hardware, India is accelerating infrastructure development along the LAC, including roads, bridges, and the Civilian aircraft carriers like the INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya underscore India’s commitment to securing its maritime and aerial frontiers. However, the Lhunze upgrade could prompt further investments in air defense and surveillance systems to counter China’s evolving capabilities.
Regionally, this development may heighten tensions with Bhutan and Nepal, both of whom share borders with Tibet and have their own strategic concerns regarding China’s assertiveness. The airbase’s proximity to the Siliguri Corridor—India’s narrow link to its northeastern states—also raises the stakes, as any disruption here could isolate an entire region.
The Lhunze upgrade fits into China’s long-term strategy along the LAC, mirroring its South China Sea playbook: establish permanent infrastructure to assert dominance and deter opposition. President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on “combat readiness” and “winning local wars,” reiterated at the 20th Party Congress in 2022, underpins this approach. The airbase’s enhancements, combined with nearby troop deployments and the construction of “Xiaokang” villages in disputed areas, suggest China is preparing for sustained pressure rather than immediate conflict.
For India, this signals a need for vigilance. While the December 2022 Tawang clash was repelled, the scale of China’s buildup—evidenced by reports of a Combined Arms Brigade near Lhunze—indicates a willingness to escalate if challenged. The airbase’s evolution could also play a role in the succession of the Dalai Lama, given Tawang’s historical ties to Tibetan Buddhism, adding a geopolitical layer to the military calculus.
NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.