Aviation history: At 13,629 ft, IAF lands heavy-lifter ‘Gajraj’ near LAC in Ladakh in record high-altitude touchdown

The IAF has an inventory of around 11 to 14 Il-76MD remaining in service. New DELHI: “Landing at 13,629 feet, a new height in aviation history”. Indian Air Force’s heavy-lift transport aircraft IL-76MD, famously called ‘Gajraj’, made a world record when it made a historic landing at the Nyoma airfield in eastern Ladakh at an altitude of 13,629 feet, achieving what the force described as the highest-altitude landing ever by an aircraft of this type anywhere in the world. Nyoma airfield, located in eastern Ladakh is around 25 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Operating heavy…