Meerut, Uttar Pradesh: India has initiated work on its first specialised drone runway and aviation base in Meerut.
The facility, planned to transform the way the Indian armed forces operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), marks a strategic shift in military aviation infrastructure, reported News 18. Besides, it will also offer infrastructure to support select manned transport aircraft, widening operational flexibility.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), under the Ministry of Defence, has initiated the process to construct a dedicated military aviation base for High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). The BRO has invited bids for Project Management Consultancy services for the Rs 406-crore project, reported CNN-News18.
The dedicated aviation base is being developed following operational insights gained during Operation Sindoor, when drones and RPAs played a crucial role in surveillance and battlefield support, underscoring the need for specialised infrastructure to support high-tempo unmanned operations.
Officials have assessed that having a dedicated runway and support base will significantly enhance India’s capability to conduct sustained UAV missions, particularly for surveillance, reconnaissance, and strategic monitoring.
The runway will be designed to support High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) RPAs as well as transport aircraft such as the C-295 and C-130 class.
The facility is being planned over approximately 900 acres and equipped with ICAO CAT-II compliant runway lighting and advanced navigational aids to enable operations in low-visibility conditions. Two large hangars will be part of the base to support maintenance, storage, and rapid deployment of drones and aircraft.
Officials expect the base to support roughly 1,500 RPA operations annually, averaging about four drone sorties per day.
