Sixteen months after the Indian Air Force struck Pakistan Air Force Base Mushaf in Sargodha during Operation Sindoor, fresh satellite imagery accessed by NDTV shows that Pakistan is carrying out new repair work at one of the runway locations hit during the 2025 strikes.
According to an NDTV exclusive report, high-resolution Vantor satellite imagery dated September 12, 2026, shows a conspicuous dark patch at the intersection of the main runway and a taxi track at the PAF base. The area is visibly different in colour and texture from the surrounding asphalt, suggesting fresh excavation or resurfacing activity. A red vehicle is also visible near the edge of the work site.
The location is significant because it corresponds to one of the two points on Mushaf’s primary runway struck by the IAF on May 10, 2025, during Operation Sindoor.
Mushaf, located in Sargodha, lies around 172 km northwest of Lahore and approximately 200 km from the India-Pakistan border near Amritsar.
Old repair dug up again
The latest imagery shows that the section previously repaired following the missile strike appears to have been reopened and excavated down towards the subgrade.
This could indicate that Pakistan is undertaking a more extensive reconstruction of the affected portion rather than simply applying another surface patch. The imagery, however, cannot establish the precise reason for the fresh excavation. Possible explanations include pavement settlement, unevenness, surface failure or problems beneath the earlier repair.
The satellite image also shows what appears to be sequential resurfacing along the runway. One portion has a darker, smoother appearance, while another section appears to remain under repair.
An earlier image dated August 28, 2026, had shown the strike location apparently repaired. The latest imagery indicates that the same section is now being worked on again.
The runway was struck twice
The satellite imagery from May 10, 2025, showed two distinct Indian strikes along Mushaf’s 3,200-metre primary runway.
Analysts estimated that the crater at the runway intersection was approximately 8–9 metres wide and 4–5 metres deep. Asphalt and concrete debris could be seen scattered around the impact site, with ground vehicles positioned nearby.
A second strike point was located approximately 660 metres away on the same runway.
The Indian Air Force has not publicly disclosed the specific weapons used against Mushaf. However, the dimensions of the crater have led analysts to assess that the damage could be consistent with an air-launched BrahMos strike from a Sukhoi-30MKI. This remains an analytical assessment and not an officially confirmed weapon identification.
What the latest imagery shows
The latest satellite imagery offers a glimpse into what appears to be continuing reconstruction at a location that was already repaired after the May 2025 strike.
The renewed excavation, coming more than a year after the original damage, adds another chapter to the story of the Sargodha runway after Operation Sindoor.
The IAF struck Mushaf on May 10, 2025, as part of a wider series of attacks on Pakistani military infrastructure. According to Indian military accounts, multiple Pakistani air bases, radar installations and air-defence assets were targeted that day.
