New Delhi : 2025 marked the sharpest deterioration in India-Pakistan ties in decades, fuelled by Islamabad’s misadventures and army chief Asim Munir’s rhetoric. As a new year dawns, Pakistan, it seems, will be busy clearing the fallout. After digging through new satellite imagery and speaking with defence expert Sandeep Unnithan, we have found that Pakistan is still working to fix the damage in most of the airbases.
Earlier this week, the Pakistani government officially acknowledged, for the first time in detail, the impact of India’s strikes on its airbases during Operation Sindoor. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Indian drones struck the crucial Nur Khan airbase, damaging the key military installation and injuring personnel. “In 36 hours, at least 80 drones were sent,” Dar said.
1) Nur Khan (Rawalpindi): Pakistan has now officially admitted that the airbase suffered damage and is undergoing technical repairs. In November, satellite imagery shared by Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence expert, indicated that a new facility was being constructed at Nur Khan, one of Pakistan’s most strategically critical airbases located near the army headquarters.
Imagery released by a Chinese satellite firm (Mizavision) also confirmed that new buildings have come up in Nur Khan. The airbase suffered extensive damage during the May conflict, with satellite images showing fuel trucks ablaze, a warehouse roof caved in, and debris scattered near the runway.
2) Bholari airbase: Recent satellite imagery shows that the hangar damaged in the Indian airstrike is now covered with tarpaulin, possibly signalling that repair activity or restoration is now underway. The strikes left one of Pakistan’s newest airbases heavily degraded. Several resident fighter fleets were damaged as well.
3) Murid airbase: The airbase, which is located close to the Indian border and houses drones, has been transitioned to “degraded status” after forward-operating infrastructure was destroyed. The latest satellite photo shared by Symon shows a giant red tarpaulin covering the command and control building, signalling that the site is still under repair. Previously, only the impact area was covered.
4) Mushaf airbase (Sargodha): Presently, the operational capacity remains limited after critical command-and-control infrastructure was damaged in the May strikes. Satellite imagery captured days after the strikes showed two large craters on the runway, with one measuring around 15 feet in radius. However, a quick check via Google Earth shows the runways have now been repaired.
5) Jacobabad airbase: Radar and air defence arrays remain offline or under repair at the airbase, which houses Pakistan air force’s most advanced assets, including the latest JF-17 Block II jets and F-16 jets. The roof of a hangar damaged in May has been taken apart in stages, and restoration is now underway.
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