Indian Air Force fighters to carry out landings on multiple highways

LUCKNOW: In the ongoing exercise, Gaganshakti, Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, including fighters and transport planes, would be carrying out landing and takeoff operations at locations including road stretches in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The aircraft operations are set to showcase the growing infrastructure prowess of the country, and the highway stretches are being planned to stretch from where emergency operations can be carried out. “A highway landing and takeoff operation is planned in Jammu and Kashmir, while another one is taking place near Lucknow on April 7”, defence sources said.

Major IAF level exercise GaganShakti has started from today. This year over 11 aircrafts have been deployed at their operational locations. This exercise is also unique as LCA our indigenous fighters are being deployed at forward bases: Air Force PRO pic.twitter.com/VefLlxZUTh

— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2018

The IAF is planning to deploy its C-13OJ Super Hercules transport aircraft along with the Su-30 MKI, Mirage 2000 and other planes. The IAF had showcased the capability in a big way in Barmer district of Rajasthan a couple of years ago when a stretch of the highway was used for landing by a C-130 with the defence minister and road transport minister as passengers along with other dignitaries.

The Road Transport Ministry, in coordination with the Indian Air Force, has created road patches built with runway specifications and without dividers so that both sides of the road can be used for operations.

Such stretches have been created to create emergency landing and takeoff operations to deal with situations in conflicts where their own airfields are under attack and a large number of their own planes are airborne and need space to take off and land.

These road stretches would also be very useful in case there is a disaster in a nearby area and the IAF transport planes and helicopters can reach the closest affected areas and provide support to the local population.

The Indian Air Force has taken a lot of steps for nation-building, like opening up the civil terminal on the Prayagraj Air Force airfield and allowing the dual use of the military infrastructure. (ANI)