India has issued a temporary no-fly zone over a significant portion of the Bay of Bengal for three days next month, signalling a likely strategic missile test off the Odisha coast between December 6 and December 8.
According to reports, the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) restricts both air and maritime traffic across a stretch of nearly 1,480 km. The advisory will remain active from 12:30 UTC on December 6 to 15:30 UTC on December 8, marking a standard safety protocol followed before major missile or defence-related trials.
NOTAMs are mandatory alerts issued globally to pilots, air traffic controllers and airlines whenever flight paths may be affected by military activity, technical issues or short-term restrictions. Such notifications help ensure the safety of civilian and commercial operations while creating a secured test corridor for defence missions.
Odisha’s Coast Remains a Hub for Strategic Trials
Although the advisory does not explicitly mention a launch point, the designated Bay of Bengal zone aligns with India’s established testing patterns from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Balasore district.
The ITR has hosted several significant trials this year. Earlier months saw successful tests of short-range ballistic missiles, air defence systems, and back-to-back launches of Prithvi-II and Agni-I under the Strategic Forces Command. In September, the upgraded Agni Prime was test-fired from a specially designed rail-based platform, further underscoring Odisha’s continued role in national defence programmes.
Increased Military Activity Accompanies New NOTAM Alerts
The latest Bay of Bengal NOTAM adds to a series of advisories issued this month. Another NOTAM covered an Indian Air Force exercise in Rajasthan, close to the Pakistan frontier, scheduled from December 3 to 6. Additionally, a separate alert was activated for the Northeast region during a large-scale Air Force drill near the borders with China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
These coordinated activities reflect an active operational calendar for India’s defence forces as they conduct routine readiness assessments and strategic exercises across multiple regions.
