Thoise Air Force Station (ICAO: VI57) is a strategic military airfield and village in the Nubra region of Ladakh, India. It provides vital access for troops and supplies to the Siachen glacier near the Actual Ground Position Line with Pakistan. Located about 160 km from Leh, Thoise is connected via the high-altitude Khardung La pass and lies near key villages like Hundar and Turtuk close to the Line of Control. An Indian Oil Corporation Limited depot is under construction to support the Indian Army, monitored from Chandigarh.
Background
Etymology
THOISE is not a real name but an acronym: Transit Halt Of Indian Soldiers Enroute (to Siachen).3 Thoise is about an hour and 20 minutes flight from Delhi. Air India has limited flight operations from "Thoise" to Delhi (Flight AI 3832). Jet Airways operated flights to THOISE until the decision was made to curtail operations due to financial non-viability towards the end of January 2019. With less than 12 qualified commercial pilots the world over, this is an extremely tricky airfield to operate into. Special background clearance and multiple stringent skill tests must be passed by the pilots in order to be able to operate to Thoise.
History
On 30 April 2019, Group Captain Sandeep Singh Chhabra of the Indian Air Force achieved the rare distinction of having completed 1,000 incident-free landings of the Russian-origin heavy lift IL-76 aircraft at Leh and Thoise.4
Military and Air Force station
Due to the extreme conditions and lack of connectivity with the outside world, IAF aircraft have been instrumental in the resupply of this remote region.5 IAF's IL-76 aircraft are all operated by No. 44 Squadron, which is based at the Chandigarh Air Force Station. Capable of airlifting up to 45 tonnes of payload, these aircraft have played an instrumental role in ferrying men and equipment, including tanks, artillery guns and construction equipment to the northern sector.6 They have also airlifted large quantities of relief material during disaster management in cases of natural calamities, and have undertaken overseas missions.
See also
Military bases- List of ALGs
- List of Indian Air Force stations
- India-China military deployment on LAC
- List of disputed India-China areas
- Tianwendian
- Ukdungle
- Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL)
- India–Pakistan International Border (IB)
- Line of Control (LoC)
- Line of Actual Control (LAC)
- Sir Creek (SC)
- Borders of China
- Borders of India
- Kashmir conflict
- Siachen conflict
- Sino-Indian conflict
- List of disputed territories of China
- List of disputed territories of India
- List of disputed territories of Pakistan
- Northern Areas
- Trans-Karakoram Tract
- Operation Meghdoot, by India
- Operation Rajiv, by India
- Operation Safed Sagar, by India
- India-China Border Roads
- List of extreme points of India
- Sino-Pakistan Agreement for transfer of Trans-Karakoram Tract to China
- Defence Institute of High Altitude Research
- Indian Astronomical Observatory
External links
References
"World Aeroport Data". Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2008. https://archive.today/20120527072717/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=IN73136 ↩
"Thoise Airport Code". World Airport Codes. Retrieved 3 February 2020. https://www.world-airport-codes.com/india/thoise-83854.html ↩
"BBC Hindi Service News". (in Hindi) https://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/specials/2055_siachen/page5.shtml ↩
Service, Tribune News. "IAF officer achieves rare feat of 1,000 landings at Leh, Thoise". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 29 September 2020. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/iaf-officer-achieves-rare-feat-of-1-000-landings-at-leh-thoise-766605 ↩
VM (Retd), Gp Capt Anant Bewoor. "Flying the Bofors into Thoise". www.bharat-rakshak.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020. http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/history/siachen/1045-bewoor.html ↩
Parma valley ALG, cogitasia.com. http://www.cogitasia.com/indias-growing-military-footprint-in-eastern-ladakh-facing-china/ ↩