Kargil to be a major air base by 2016

Learning lessons from the 1999 war with Pakistan, India is all set to develop the Kargil airfield as a fullfledged transport base by 2016, by when the Indian Air Force (IAF) aims to operate both medium and heavy-lift planes from there.
It also plans to operate combat aircraft from Kargil sometime in the future.
The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, said at the annual press conference Monday ahead of the Air Force Day Oct 8 that the IAF will expand the 6,000-foot runway in Kargil to enable operations of all major transport aircraft such as the Soviet-origin IL-76 heavy-lift planes, the newly-ordered C-17 heavy-lift aircraft from the US, and the just-acquired C-130J Super Hercules. via http://www.deccanherald.com/content/195417/kargil-major-air-base-2016.html