Pakistan has begun removing and dismantling the damaged roof of a hangar at its Bholari Airbase nearly nine months after the structure was heavily damaged during an Indian Air Force (IAF) strike in the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict known as Operation Sindoor, satellite imagery and defence analysts indicate.
Recent images show sections of the green hangar roof peeled away, with repair or reconstruction activity underway at the site — a marked shift from the months of inactivity following the original strike, which left the structure in ruins. Analysts say the dismantling of the damaged roof likely represents early-stage restoration work on the base facility, consistent with Pakistan’s broader efforts to repair multiple airfields struck during the confrontation.
The IAF strike on May 9–10, 2025, was part of India’s military response to escalating tensions and cross-border attacks earlier that year. Multiple Pakistani airbases, including Bholari, were targeted by Indian aerial strikes using precision-guided munitions, according to open-source imagery and military analysts. At Bholari Airbase near Hyderabad, the assault reportedly inflicted a large hole in the roof of a major aircraft hangar, consistent with a missile impact, and caused extensive internal damage.
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The damaged hangar was understood to house high-value Pakistan Air Force (PAF) assets, including a Saab 2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, which according to former PAF officials and imagery analysis was either destroyed or rendered inoperable by the strike. Casualties among PAF personnel were also reported following the strike, a key blow to Pakistan’s aerial surveillance and early warning capabilities.
Bholari is one of Pakistan’s more modern airbases and was considered strategically significant due to its location and role in coastal defence. The halt in visible restoration work for many months after the conflict fuelled speculation about the base’s operational status; the recent roof removal suggests a shift toward rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
The broader context of Operation Sindoor involved an intense period of military engagement between India and Pakistan that lasted roughly 88 hours, with both sides exchanging strikes and counter-strikes. Although a ceasefire was declared shortly after, the repair and reconstruction of damaged military assets — such as the Bholari hangar — reflects ongoing strategic recalibrations by Pakistan’s armed forces in the conflict’s aftermath.
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