Satellite images show Pakistan rebuilding Nur Khan base hit by Indian in Operation Sindoor

The site, used by the Pakistan Air Force’s elite No. 12 VIP Squadron, had suffered heavy damage in May 2025 when specialised military trucks were destroyed.

The disclosure comes even as two of Pakistan’s VVIP jets — one carrying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and another ferrying newly promoted Field Marshal Asim Munir — landed in Tianjin earlier this week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Sharif flew in aboard a Gulfstream G450 from Lahore, while Munir departed from Nur Khan base in Rawalpindi.

Pre-strike imagery had shown “specialised military trucks” at the base, believed to be Command and Control (C2) units integrating air and ground assets, India Today reported.

“India’s strike in May 2025 targeted specialised military trucks at a complex in the airbase and caused secondary damage to neighbouring structures. These structures were later taken down likely due to structural issues and internal damage,” said Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence researcher at Intel Lab.

According to new imagery from US-based Maxar Technologies and analysed by India Today, rebuilding is now underway. Wall sections and groundwork have emerged on the site, suggesting an effort to restore the original layout.

“The current layout of the new wall sections appears to match the layout of the buildings that were taken down. The rebuilding effort also highlights Pakistan’s intention to restore operational capacity at this site, which is likely integral to airfield operations,” Symon added.

The No. 12 VIP Squadron, known as the Burraqs, is tasked with transporting Pakistan’s top leadership, including the President, Prime Minister, service chiefs, and cabinet members.

Recent imagery also showed a Bombardier Global 6000 — the aircraft Munir has used for overseas visits while his Gulfstream was undergoing maintenance in the UK — and a military transport plane stationed near the reconstruction zone. Another Gulfstream, tail number J755, is also believed to be at the base.

Pakistan’s leadership has publicly acknowledged the May strike.

“I got a call at 2:30 on a secure phone from army chief General Syed Asim Munir who informed me that India just now launched ballistic missiles and one of them fell at the Nur Khan Airport,” PM Sharif said earlier.

The rapid rebuilding indicates Islamabad’s intent to quickly restore both operational and symbolic functions at the airbase, which remains central to VVIP transport and command operations.