© Damien Symon of @detresfa_      

The hangar at Pakistan's Shahbaz Airbase in Jacobabad, severely damaged during Indian airstrikes in May 2025, has now received a new roof after nearly seven months of painstaking repairs, reported Damien Symon of @detresfa_ on X.com.

This development marks a significant milestone in Pakistan's efforts to restore operational readiness at one of its key northern Sindh facilities, which houses critical Pakistan Air Force assets. Satellite imagery confirms the swift completion of the roofing work, contrasting sharply with the prolonged deconstruction process observed earlier.

The conflict erupted on 7 May 2025 with India's Operation Sindoor, a series of precision missile and air strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

Escalation peaked on 10 May when Indian forces struck multiple Pakistani airbases, including Jacobabad, employing BrahMos supersonic missiles from Su-30MKI jets and SCALP-EG standoff weapons from Rafale aircraft.

At Jacobabad, the strikes inflicted a massive 100-foot-wide hole in the hangar roof, alongside damage to the air traffic control tower, rendering the structure inoperable and exposing vital maintenance bays.

Initial post-strike assessments by geospatial analysts like Damien Symon revealed extensive structural compromise, with debris scattered across the site and the hangar wall partially collapsed. Pakistan denied significant military impact, claiming minimal damage, but satellite evidence contradicted this, showing gutted hangars and disrupted fighter fleet operations.

The base, also known as PAF Base Shahbaz, emerged as a prime symbol of India's precision capabilities, crippling Pakistan's air defence posture in the region.

​Repair efforts commenced slowly, with November 2025 imagery depicting methodical roof removal in stages to evaluate internal damage—a process Symon described as essential for structural integrity checks before reconstruction.

By mid-December, progress stalled amid reports of Pakistan struggling with resource constraints and technical challenges at sensitive sites like Jacobabad. Demolition of adjacent damaged structures, such as those at Sukkur, proceeded in parallel, highlighting broader logistical hurdles in restoring Punjab and Sindh airbases.

Recent satellite imagery from 20-21 December 2025 underscores the hangar’s transformation, with a fully reinstated roof signalling operational revival. This comes six months after the ceasefire brokered on 10 May via US mediation involving President Donald Trump and officials like JD Vance and Marco Rubio, averting nuclear escalation fears.

Analysts view the timely completion as a boost to Pakistan's morale, though vulnerabilities persist given the base's proximity to the border and history of exposure.

Strategically, Jacobabad's restoration bolsters Pakistan's northern air operations, potentially housing JF-17 fighters and surveillance assets once fully rehabilitated. India’s strikes demonstrated superior standoff weaponry and electronic warfare dominance, jamming Chinese-supplied HQ-9 systems and bypassing defences. The seven-month delay exposes Pakistan's maintenance limitations, contrasting with India's rapid post-conflict recovery at bases like Adampur.

The episode underscores enduring Indo-Pak tensions, with Operation Sindoor confirming India's doctrinal shift towards deep pre-emptive actions against terror enablers. Casualties included six Pakistani airmen at sites like Bholari and Sargodha, while India reported 21 civilian and eight military deaths from Pakistani retaliation. As repairs conclude, vigilance along the Line of Control remains paramount, with both nuclear powers recalibrating force postures.

​IDN (With Agency Inputs)