China is constructing railways and new high-speed road
Radar coverage, improvement in other administrative infrastructure as well
China considered the development of India's infrastructure in eastern Ladakh a major threat. But the way the media has not noticed much till now is how Beijing itself has pursued strategic projects along the north-eastern borders with Arunachal Pradesh.
Analysis of open-source satellite images from Google Earth and other platforms shows that China is strengthening infrastructure in and around Nyingchi, a military city in the Tibet region. There he has deployed two large common arms brigades. Nyingchi is located in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in front of the Tooting area of India.
The photos show that China is not only building airports, heliports, railways, and new high-speed roads (which connect Nyingchi to Lhasa and the rest of the country), but it has also provided radar coverage for PLAs in the region and Another administrative infrastructure has also been improved.
Airport
Interpretation of satellite imagery of the last two decades indicates that construction of the Nyingchi Airport started in 2004 and was completed in July 2006.
The small airport with a three-km airstrip is located on the banks of the Brahmaputra River and is barely 15 km from the Indian border.
Analysis of the photographs reveals that as part of the airport's development project, the apron has been expanded. Also, large reception and lounge buildings have also been added to the previous structures.
Recently it was also seen that the leveling and grading for a possible second air strip has also started. The bustling activities suggest that China wants to complete the second airstrip as quickly as possible.
Photographs show that a large number of buildings have also been built in the south of the airport to house the soldiers and keep the equipment.
These infrastructure facilities saw growth during the 2017 Doklam standoff, when China built parks for armored vehicles and made room for more troops.
The 150 m x 300 m square area in the mountains has been cleaned in the eastern corner of the Airstrip. It is assessed that it can be used for greater accommodation facilities or air defense positions.
Heliport
The British era cross-shaped helipad in the city has now been upgraded. Which also shows that this area was once controlled and administered by British India and later occupied by China.
Currently, the heliport has two more parking spaces in addition to square parking for eight helicopters with a helistrip in the center. Three MI-17 V helicopters of the LH Brigade under the Tibet Military District are seen in the latest satellite photos.
railway station
The construction of the railway line from Nyingchi to Lhasa via Gonggar and Lhoka was targeted to be completed by the end of 2020, but it was almost completed a year ago.
This railway line is part of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. It is the first electric line in Tibet. Most of the tunnels have been completed to date. The last tunnel named Zagar Tunnel is about nine kilometers long and was the most difficult to construct. The loading and unloading facility will be at Nyingchi station. Probably there will also be a turn table for train engines here.
Lhasa-Nyangchi Expressway
By the end of 2018, the city of Lhasa was connected with the city of Nyingchi with high grade expressway. It is a four-lane two-way road along the banks of the Niang River. Its length is 410 kilometers and average width is 20 kilometers.
The Chinese government claims that traffic can run at an average speed of 80 km per hour on the expressway. It has reduced the travel time between the two places from nine to 5 hours. According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the expressway is toll free for the locals.
New radar station, aerostat trial
In 2001, China established the earliest radar station in the region, about 30 km from the city of Nyingchi.
It was a routine People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) facility. Where there are two radomes with radar that could cover the low and high altitude aerospace in the area of coverage. The PLAAF established a new radar station in 2014, about 25 km from the city. There is a lone radome of 16 meter diameter. Probably a square space for vehicle-based radar was cleared.
This suggests that this place may be used for testing new radar for hilly areas. Aerostat trials up to an altitude of 1,500 meters were conducted 40 kilometers north of Nyingchi City. However, they are not yet clearly deployed in this area. The trials were probably not successful.
Implication
The development of infrastructure in the region, including a second possible airstrip at Nyingchi Airport, indicates that China is keen to deploy more forces here.