The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a milestone pact last October to ease military tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh landed the C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, perched at a height of about 13,000 feet (4,000 m), added the official, who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one.

The Indian Air Force and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The new airbase, the region’s third such key station, is just 30 km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

“This new airfield in Ladakh, capable of fighter operations, will add a new challenge for both of our adversaries,” retired Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor wrote on X, referring to neighbours China and Pakistan.

China has an airfield at a similar height, he added.

Mistrust persists between China and India despite the thaw, Indian analysts and officials say, with the Indian Army chief pointing this year to continued heightened troop presence and infrastructure build-up on the border by both sides.

India and China share a poorly demarcated border that stretches 3,800 km (2,400 miles) and has been disputed since the 1950s. They fought a brief but brutal war over it in 1962.

Ties soured after a deadly border clash in 2020, before their 2024 pact brought a thaw and easing of some curbs, allowing resumption of direct flights and two-way visits.