India is set to build a dedicated runway for drones and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to keep a hawk eye from the sky. Once completed, these drones will be able to keep a hawk eye from the sky. In line with this initiative, the Indian Army has set aside over 900 acres of land for building a base in Meerut. 

The initiative will be undertaken by Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which falls under the Ministry of Defence. According to a report by News18, the initiative will lead to the construction of a dedicated military base for High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). 

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Meerut’s New Air Base: Project Details

  • The BRO has invited bids from private firms for the project, which costs around Rs 406 crore.

  • The base will be 2,110 metres long and 45 metres wide.

  • It will not only be helpful for the remotely piloted aircraft but will also be useful for transport carriers like C-295 and C-130. 

  • The runway will have ICAO CAT-II specifications, which will help the drones to operate even in low visibility. 

  • There will be two large hangars (60x50 metres) which will house the aircraft and RPAs.

  • The facility is expected to support nearly 1,500 RPA operations annually, that is, four drone sorties per day. 

  • The timeline for the Meerut base stretches across 85 months. 

  • This is bifurcated into the following: seven months for pre-award planning and DPR preparations, followed by 18 months of supervised construction. 

  • A 24-month buffer period is also given, and an additional 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. 

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Why Is The Base Important?

A dedicated drone base, such as the upcoming facility in Meerut, is critical for India to enhance military surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision targeting, especially along volatile borders. It supports high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), providing persistent, real-time intelligence while minimising risks to personnel. Moreover, India’s recent skirmishes with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor have shown how important it is to invest in modern warfare tactics like drone warfare.