SOURCE: AFI
The Rahim Yar Khan airbase in Pakistan’s Punjab province, a critical military asset, remains non-operational nearly a month after India’s precision airstrikes during Operation Sindoor on May 9, 2025. A recent Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) indicates that the airbase’s sole runway will remain offline until at least June 20, 2025, underscoring significant delays in repair efforts. This prolonged downtime speaks volumes about Pakistan’s runway repair capabilities and operational efficiency, offering valuable insights for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to assess its adversary’s resilience.
Geo-intelligence expert Damien Symon, known on X as @detresfa_, highlighted the issue in a post on June 4, 2025, stating, “Pakistan issues one more NOTAM for Rahim Yar Khan, runway now remains offline estimated till 20 June 2025.” This follows earlier NOTAMs extending the closure from May 18 to June 6, and now further to June 20, indicating that the damage inflicted by India’s strikes—reportedly involving BrahMos-A supersonic cruise missiles—has proven challenging to repair.
Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies and analysis by Symon reveal a massive crater, approximately 19 feet in radius, on the runway, with debris scattered across the site, rendering it inoperable. The airbase, which also houses Sheikh Zayed International Airport, was one of several Pakistani military targets hit during Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory campaign launched in response to a Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025. The strikes targeted key infrastructure, including runways, radar sites, and command centers, across bases like Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha, and Nur Khan.
The extended closure of Rahim Yar Khan’s runway suggests that Pakistan’s repair efforts are hampered by logistical or technical constraints. While Pakistan’s Air Force reportedly restored operations at other bases, such as Mushaf Airbase, within hours, the Rahim Yar Khan repairs have lagged significantly. A post on X by@ODA_Foxtrot on May 13, 2025, claimed that Mushaf’s runway was operational in just nine hours, highlighting a disparity in repair efficiency across Pakistan’s airbases. The Rahim Yar Khan airbase, however, remains “in ICU,” as described by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a rally in Bikaner, reflecting the severity of the damage and Pakistan’s struggle to restore functionality.
This situation offers strategic lessons for the Indian Air Force. The IAF’s precision strikes, particularly with the BrahMos-A missile, demonstrated its ability to cripple critical infrastructure with pinpoint accuracy, as confirmed by Air Marshal AK Bharti during a press briefing. The prolonged downtime at Rahim Yar Khan suggests that Pakistan’s rapid-response repair capabilities may be limited, particularly for high-value targets. The IAF could leverage this insight to refine its targeting strategies, focusing on infrastructure that maximizes disruption to Pakistan’s military operations.
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