Mechuka is situated along the India-China border and was one of the strategic locations during the 1962 Indo-China War. It is 7,000 ft above sea level and approximately 40 km from China.
After the inauguration, Air Marshal C Hari Kumar said, "The people of Mechuka are very co-operative and respectable. They are the main contributors in achieving this tough task."
Op capability of IAF gets major boost by relaunching of ALG Mechuka today by Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar AOC-in-C EAC. pic.twitter.com/Pj9SyLpHd5
— DPR (@SpokespersonMoD) 30 мая 2016 г.
The new landing grounds will enhance the air maintenance capability of the Indian Air Force in the northeastern region.
Really good 2see NE Airfields project take off. We need the connectivity. Expect C130s to start ops. That wil b Grrt https://t.co/gJDxS2U73B
— Manmohan Bahadur (@BahadurManmohan) 30 мая 2016 г.
In 2009, India selected eight sites as part of a project to modernize or upgrade Advanced Landing Grounds in the northeast. They included Ziro, Passighat, Mechuka, Walong, Along, Tuting, Tawang and Vijaynagar. The ALGs of Tawang and Walong were already under the control of the Indian Army, while the others were inoperative.
For the development of defense infrastructure in the northeast, the Indian Air Force has allocated $54 million from April 2016 to March 2017.
India is also modernizing 10 airfields in the eastern part of India, which would augment the capabilities of the Indian Air Force in the event of a stand-off with other countries.
