The Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a successful night-time combat drill on the country’s first expressway airstrip on the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur district on Friday.
The exercise, carried out between 7pm and 10pm, saw fighter jets Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, and Mirage-2000 conduct mock touch-and-go landings and tactical flight operations.
“Multiple fighter jets carried out successful sorties as part of a night operational exercise. The drill involved precision landings, coordinated take-offs, and tactical operations by jets such as Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mirage-2000, and M-32,” Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi told PTI. Over 250 CCTV cameras surrounded the 3.5-kilometre airstrip for additional surveillance and security.
“Despite strong winds and unfavourable weather during the day, the drill was completed successfully, with the night operations proving to be smoother and more efficient,” Dwivedi said. Although the exercise was originally planned for two days, the IAF managed to carry out the entire operation in just one night.
During the drill, some fighter jets were seen landing with the help of ropes dropped from helicopters, followed by ground tactical deployment, he added.
Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Arvind Kumar hailed this as a “historical moment” for the district. “Fighter jets made contact with the airstrip near the VIP camp and then took off again. Over 1,000 sanitation workers and other personnel from the Panchayati Raj Department were deployed along a 40-kilometre stretch to ensure no animals or obstructions entered the airstrip,” he added.
Traffic on the Bareilly–Etawah route was stopped for nearly three hours as fighter jet exercises took place on the Ganga Expressway, officials said. Many locals gathered in nearby fields to watch the drills.
Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur
The airstrip, which was recently inspected by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is now ready for fighter jet landings and operations during both day and night, officials confirmed.
The 594-km expressway, connecting Meerut to Prayagraj, was approved by the state cabinet in September 2021. The project, estimated to cost ₹36,230 crore, is being built under a public-private partnership but is currently behind schedule.
(With PTI inputs)