After Op Sindoor, India Starts Work On First Dedicated Drone Runway In Meerut | Exclusive

Last Updated:February 14, 2026, 10:00 IST

At the heart of the base will be a 2,110-metre-long, 45-metre-wide runway, designed not just for remotely piloted aircraft but also for transport aircraft in C-295 & C-130 class

In a major security upgrade post Operation Sindoor, which showed how modern warfare is changing in real time, India will be getting its first dedicated runway for drones and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to keep a hawk eye from the sky.

The Indian Army will have this base over 900 acres in Meerut. 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, show documents accessed by CNN-News18.

At the heart of the base will be a 2,110-metre-long, 45-metre-wide runway, designed not just for remotely piloted aircraft but also for transport aircraft in the C-295 and C-130 class. The runway will be equipped with ICAO CAT-II compliant lighting and modern navigational aids, allowing operations even in low visibility. Two large hangars—each 60 by 50 metres—will house aircraft and RPAs, enabling maintenance and quick deployment.

The scale of planned activity is significant. The facility is expected to support heavy aircraft movement annually along with approximately 1,500 RPA operations—roughly four drone sorties every day through the year.

The project comes at a time when drones have moved from being support assets to central actors in military operations.

During Operation Sindoor, unmanned aerial systems were used extensively for surveillance, reconnaissance and precision targeting. Military planners observed how sustained drone operations enhanced situational awareness while minimising risk to personnel.

Lessons from such operations have reinforced the importance of dedicated infrastructure to sustain high-tempo unmanned missions.

HALE RPAs, in particular, are designed to stay airborne at high altitudes for long durations, providing real-time intelligence across vast stretches of terrain. In sensitive border situations, that endurance can mean the difference between reacting to events and anticipating them.

The timeline for the Meerut base stretches across 85 months. Seven months are allocated for pre-award planning and DPR preparation, followed by 18 months of supervised construction. A 24-month defect liability period and 36 months of maintenance oversight will ensure operational readiness over time.

For soldiers who will operate from here, the base will not just be an airstrip, it will be a strategic nerve centre. And for Meerut, the steady hum of drone engines may soon become a reminder that the future of defence is increasingly unmanned, data-driven and persistent in the skies.

News india After Op Sindoor, India Starts Work On First Dedicated Drone Runway In Meerut | Exclusive

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