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3d ago

IAF Completes Landmark Day-Night Landing Drills on Ganga Expressway Airstrip

India's first expressway-integrated airstrip with night-landing capability demonstrates operational readiness for emergencies and wartime scenarios.

IAF's Jaguar, which is a precision strike aircraft used in ground attack and anti-ship missions will be the among the first aircrafts to touch down on the Ganga expressway airstrip.
IAF flexes muscle amid Pak tensions; Rafale, Mirage 2000, Jaguar touch down
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath inspects the construction work of Ganga Expressway in Hardoi, Shahjahanpur and Hapur, on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Overview

  • The Indian Air Force successfully conducted day and night take-off and landing drills on a 3.5-kilometre airstrip on the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, marking its viability for round-the-clock operations.
  • This is the first expressway airstrip in India equipped with night-landing capabilities, featuring advanced lighting, CAT II Instrument Landing System, and reinforced pavement for military aircraft.
  • The exercise involved frontline fighter jets such as Rafale, SU-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar, and transport aircraft like C-130J Super Hercules and AN-32, along with MI-17 V5 helicopters.
  • The airstrip is part of a broader strategy to develop emergency landing facilities across India, enhancing the IAF’s operational flexibility and rapid deployment capacity during crises.
  • The Ganga Expressway, scheduled for completion by November 2025, will be Uttar Pradesh's fourth expressway with an airstrip, but the first to support continuous fighter operations, furthering civil-military collaboration.